In Another Life
by jojojojo01
Summary: A simple distress call has unforeseen consequences for International Rescue. Who is the women they have saved and how does she know everything about the Tracy family? (my first Thunderbirds ff story)
1. Chapter 1

Sadly I don't own the Thunderbirds, but i'm very grateful to Gerry and Sylvia Anderson for creating them so I get to play with them.

This is my first attempt at a Thunderbird fanfic . Hope you enjoy it, any feedback is welcome, but please be gentle with me. Thanks , Jo

In Another Life

Chapter 1

" _Mayday, mayday, this is Tracy 1 requesting assistance. I'm losing altitude. I repeat I am losing altitude. Thunderbird 5. Can you read me...John!_

Up on Thunderbird 5, John was listening in intently to a distress call that was coming thorough. The fear in the woman's voice was clear as day. But what was strange about it was that the message couldn't have been possible. Why was this woman claiming to be in Tracy 1...he decided there was only one way to find out what was going on

"Tracy 1 this is International Rescue, do you copy?"

"John is that you?" the voice asked in reply "I need immediate assistance. The plane was hit by a freak storm and I'm struggling to keep her under control. Send Gordon and Thunderbird 4 now...I'm going down into the ocean..." with that the transmission cut off

While John had been listening to the woman on the other end of the communication, he had activated his scans to try and get more information that way. The only thing he could verify was that there was in fact a light aircraft losing height out above the Pacific. Yet there were still too many unanswered questions. But he knew he had to do something.

"Thunderbird 5 to base"

"Go ahead John" came Scott in reply "Do we have a situation?" he asked

"I believe so but I'm not sure what I make of it" John's image said as he looked down at his older brother

"What do you mean John?" Virgil asked as he walked over to join Scott by their father's desk

"The caller, a woman, I didn't find out her name; she claims to be flying Tracy 1"

Scott and Virgil looked at each other, confusion on both their faces

"And" John continued "She knew me by name"

"What!" both Scott and Virgil exclaimed in unison

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know Virg, but I thought that you could find out what's going on when you and Gordon go and rescue her"

"Okay John" Virgil replied as he made his way over to the picture which concealed the secret entrance to Thunderbird Two's hanger bay

"I'll have Gordon meet you there" Scott told him "And be careful" Virgil gave Scott a mock salute as the picture tipped backwards, taking Virgil with it

"John, try and get as much information as you can; and keep us updated. I'll inform father" Scott said returning his attention back to John's image once Virgil had disappeared down to his chute to Thunderbird 2.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to disturb Dad at the moment. Wouldn't it be best to wait until we find out what Thunderbird 2 finds out?" John asked his brother.

For the last week or so Scott had been staying at base during the few rescues that they had had come in as their father had been bedridden with the flu.

"Under normal circumstances I wouldn't, but something about this feels off to me. I'm sure he'd want to know what was going on"

"FAB" John replied, ending the transmission

Up on Thunderbird 5, once John had finished speaking to Scott, he returned his attention back to trying to re-establish the communication list he had lost with the mysterious 'Tracy 1'

" 'Tracy 1' this is International Rescue. Are you receiving?"

There was nothing but static in reply. John tried several more times, in between sending Thunderbird 2 the last known co-ordinates of the aircraft he had received before he had lost contact. Suddenly John could have sworn that he heard a reply; but it was too distorted for him to understand what was being said.

" 'Tracy 1' from International Rescue. Can you please repeat your last transmission?"

"This...cy 1. Don't...how much...can..hold...how long...til four arrives..."

"Thunderbird 5 to Thunderbird 2. Come in please." John said changing frequencies

"Go ahead John" came Virgil's voice in reply, loud and clear over the comms.

"Virgil what is your estimated time of arrival at co-ordinates?"

"We'll be arriving at co-ordinates in eight and one half minutes John" Virgil informed him

"Received Thunderbird 2" John was about to get in contact with base when a strange feeling came over him. Other than the pilot claiming to be flying 'Tracy 1' and knowing his and Gordon's names, there was something else about that transmission that was bothering him

But right at that moment he couldn't quite put his finger on it


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the delay with the update, been crazy busy. Also thanks to Kate Maxwell for her support when writing this chapter xx

Chapter 2

Eight and a half minutes later Thunderbird 2 was approaching the area where John reported that the aircraft had gone down. Although John had given them co-ordinates to head towards, the exact co-ordinates where 'Tracy 1' had hit the water were unknown. But at least the little information that Thunderbird 5 had provided narrowed down the search area.

" _After all a search radius of a few miles is much better than the entire Pacific ocean"_ Virgil thought to himself as he reduced Two's speed to better enable them to start a pre-planned search of the area. He then opened communication with Thunderbird 5 for an update.

"Thunderbird 2 to Thunderbird 5 and Base; we are approaching the co-ordinates now. John any word from our mystery pilot" Virgil asked as he brought Two into hover over the area he had been told the plane had gone down.

"Not for a few minutes Virg. But in her last contact she informed me that she had hit the water; but the plane was still afloat"

"I'll see if I can try and locate it..."

"There!" Gordon cried, pointing out of the main window to where he could see the craft on the surface of the water. Or at least what could still be seen of it on the surface.

"Whoa!" Virgil exclaimed when he saw the craft "How is that even possible?"

"It looks like it's been modified and that's what's helping keep it afloat like that" Gordon commented, answering is brother

"I can see that Gordon. I mean how is it possible that it looks like Tracy 1's identical twin" Virgil clarified, helping Gordon to understand the real reason why he had reacted the way he had; in fact Virgil was confused as to why Gordon hadn't noticed the similarities for himself.

That was when Gordon too noticed the similarities "Oh yeah, you're right Virgil. I guess I just wasn't paying attention to the craft itself- just to finding it" Gordon looked a little sheepish as he spoke. Virgil understood where his brother was coming from. He too had had moments when he was too busy focusing on the mission that some details didn't always register because at the time they weren't really that important.

"It's okay Gords I knew what you meant" he told his brother reassuringly as he saw a small smile spread across Gordon's face

"Thunderbird 2 to Thunderbird 5 and Base"

"Go ahead Thunderbird 2"

"Go ahead son" John and Jeff answered in unison. Virgil felt a small smile of his own at their response. He cleared his throat briefly before continuing

"We have located the aircraft" he informed them

"Although what I don't understand" Gordon added "Is why the pilot would request the help of Thunderbird 4 when it would only require Thunderbird 2 to use her grabs and pick her up off the surface"

"What do you mean son?" Jeff asked somewhat confused, his voice hoarse as he spoke

"Remarkably it's still on the surface" Gordon informed his father

"How is that possible?" Scott asked, as surprised by Gordon's words as their father was.

"You should see it Scott" Virgil continued "It may look like Tracy 1 but it has been clearly modified. Whatever has been done to it must be keeping it afloat" he said his words echoing Gordon's earlier remark

"That's it" John's voice sounded over the comms suddenly taking everyone by surprise

"What's it John?" Virgil asked cautiously, worried that whatever it was John was about to reveal would impact the rescue in some way

"Don't worry Virg, it's nothing important" John replied as if he read his brother's mind "Gordon has just helped me realise what it was that was bothering me"

"I did?" Gordon asked brightly "how?"

"What was bothering you son?" Jeff managed before a coughing fit took over him. Scott handed his father a glass of water "Thanks" Jeff told him when he was finished

"Well" John explained "when she sent the initial distress call..."

"...When she mentioned you by name" Scott interrupted.

John shot Scott a look which said that 'I may be up in space but don't interrupt me like that again' as he continued "She asked for Gordon and Thunderbird 4"

"So?" Gordon asked confused

"She never asked for Thunderbird 2...or Virgil; and like you said Gordon, why ask for Thunderbird 4 when she's not needed"

"Well this is all very interesting" Virgil stated matter of factly "But would you mind if we debate this later? We do have a rescue to be getting along with"

"Virgil's right boys. Maybe once we have completed this rescue John will get his answers" Jeff managed to say before another coughing fit wracked his frail body.

"Father, maybe you should go back to bed" Scott told him "We can handle it from here". John nodded in agreement. Jeff got to his feet and slowly shuffled out of the room to go back to his bed but not before making Scott promise to keep him informed with any new updates regarding the rescue.

"So how are we going to go about this Virg?" Gordon asked looking from his brother to the view through the cockpit window then back to his brother again.

"Unfortunately since we brought Thunderbird 4 with us we have no way of being able to lift the craft off the surface of the water". That was when Gordon realised that while they had been having the discussion over the distressed crafts earlier call, Virgil had brought Thunderbird 2 into position above the floating plane. "You'll have to cut through the hull and get the pilot out that way"

"Right" Gordon said as he made his way out of the cockpit to get set up in Thunderbird 4

"Thunderbird 2 to Thunderbird 5 and base"

"Go ahead Virgil" John replied

"I'm in position to drop the pod. Gordon is going to have to cut through and rescue the pilot that way"

"Okay Virg, ask Gordon to collect the black box so we can find out exactly what happened" John told him

"FAB. I'll try radioing the pilot, see if I can get any response"

With that Virgil changed frequencies and attempted to call the downed plane "This is International Rescue calling...Tracy 1" Virgil said, hesitating over the uncertainty of what to call the craft, but decided to use the name the pilot had used so that she would at least know that he was contacting her directly; assuming that she received the transmission.

After several moments and with no response he tried a couple more times, each with no reply

"Thunderbird 5 from Thunderbird 2, still no response from the pilot" he informed John

"Okay Virgil, message received"

"Base from Thunderbird 2"

"Go ahead Virg" Scott's voice came back "I've sent Father back to bed" he informed Virgil when he saw the inquisitive look on his brother's face. "What is it Virg?" Scott asked when he noticed that the look on Virgil's face hadn't changed

"Okay. Look Scott there's no easy way to say this, but under the circumstances I think we need to bring the pilot back to base with us"

"What! Virgil you can't be serious?"

"We really don't have much choice Scott. Besides we need to find out how she knows things about us"

"But..."

"Virgil's right Scott" John said interrupting Scott before he could protest.

"But we don't know who this woman is, it could be a trick" Scott said finally

"Yet she claims to know us. She knew our names plus the aircraft she is flying is very much like our own" John countered

"Besides dad did say that the pilot might be able to give us some answers" Virgil added.

"That's true" John agreed

"But bringing her back to base?" Scott asked exasperated "It's too risky"

"More of a risk than if we take her to a hospital to get checked out? Scott, we need to find out what she knows and how she knows it. That's more important than her being on the island"

Scott ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He knew that what Virgil was saying was right, but he didn't want to be the one who put the family and their organisation at risk by making this decision

"Okay Virgil. For now you and Gordon just concentrate on getting her out of the plane. I'll speak to dad about this and see what he thinks we should do. I don't think I should be the one to make this decision"

"FAB Scott" Virgil said. He then changed frequencies "Gordon, you ready to launch?"

"FAB Virgil" came Gordon's reply

"Okay. Get the pilot out and if you can, you will need to retrieve the black box too"

" Understood"

"And Gordon?"

"Yes Virgil?"

"Be careful down there. We don't know what we're dealing with" Virgil told his younger brother, his concern obvious in his voice. He was worried in case he was sending Gordon into a trap.

"FAB"


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry about the delay with this chapter update, been a horrible week- work, studying, feeling ill - it really crushed my motivation to get this written up.

Hope you enjoy it

Chapter 3

Once Thunderbird 2 had dropped the Pod onto the surface of the ocean, Virgil radioed through to his water loving brother "Are you ready Gordon?" he asked

"Ready Virg" came Gordon's reply as the door of the Pod opened and the ramp lowered, allowing Thunderbird 4 to be released into her natural environment "I'm making my way over to the aircraft now" he informed Thunderbird 2

Slowly so as not to cause too much of disturbance, Thunderbird 4 made its way over to the downed craft. Positioning her alongside the plane, Gordon carefully attached Four to the plane and secured her in place. He then made his way to the airlock doors, grabbing a portable laser cutter on the way. Gordon had decided upon his approach to the craft that a safer option would be to cut through the hull of the craft himself manually with the hand held laser cutter rather than using the Thunderbird 4's. He didn't want to risk causing any unnecessary damage to the plane, especially as it was still floating on the surface. Because of this is gave him a little more time to take a more gentle approach. Gordon exited the hatch of Thunderbird 4 and cautiously stepped out on to the hull of the plane. Once in position he secured himself in place and activated his laser cutter

Their only concern was that they had not been able to make any further contact with the pilot. Whether this was due to there being damage to the radio onboard 'Tracy 1' or because the pilot herself was injured was unclear. The only way they would get an answer would be once Gordon had gained access to the cockpit

"Thunderbird 4 from Thunderbird 2, how's it going Gordon?" Virgil asked, his voice a little anxious

"Slowly I'm afraid, Virgil" Gordon replied. He had been cutting for several minutes and had only managed to cut along about 6 inches of the hull "Whatever modifications have been made to the plane are making it difficult to get through it quickly" he informed his older brother

"Okay Gordon, I'll inform base. Keep at it. Let me know when you get through."

"FAB"

"Base from Thunderbird 2" Virgil received no reply, so tried again

"Go ahead Virgil" Scott finally answered several moments later "Sorry about that, I was just informing father of the situation. How's the rescue going?" he asked his brother

"Gordon is cutting through the hull of the plane as we speak. However he says that the modifications are slowing down his progress"

"FAB Virg, keep us updated will you"

"FAB, I'll let you know as soon as I know" Virgil said in reply "So, what did dad have to say?"

Scott took a deep breath before answering his younger brother "Seems father agrees with you about bringing the pilot back to base" Scott informed him. Although Virgil could tell that Scott was still concerned about it

"He does?" Virgil answered somewhat surprised that their father would agree to something so risky

"Yes. But he also said to make sure that you take any necessary precautions to make sure that she doesn't pose any more of a threat to us than she already is"

"Of course Scott, don't worry. We'll sedate her if we have to. I'll radio in when we have her secured aboard Thunderbird 2"

"FAB Virgil. Just be careful okay, it could be a trap" Smiling slightly at his brothers concern Virgil disconnected his call from base and radioed Gordon once again for an update

"How's it going Gordon?"

"I'm almost through here; I should be able to access the plane in a few more minutes" Gordon replied, relief coming through over the radio as he spoke

"That's good, the sooner we get this rescue completed the happier I'll be"

"Yeah me too. Any news on what we are going to do with the pilot once we get her out of here?" Gordon asked. Virgil then went on to tell Gordon about the conversation he had just had with Scott and about what their father had agreed to in regards to the mystery pilot of the mystery plane. In the background while he was talking, Virgil could hear the sound of the laser working its way through the metal hull of the plane. Suddenly the cutter stopped and Virgil then heard the distinct sound of metal falling against metal

"I'm through" Gordon announced proudly

"FAB Gordon" Virgil replied "Just be careful, we don't know what it is you'll be walking into"

"Nice to know you care so much Virg" Gordon told his older brother with a chuckle

"I'm serious Gordo" Virgil replied using Gordon's familiar nickname "Oh, and don't forget the black box while you're there"

"I won't don't worry. Okay I'm going in now" Gordon informed his brother as he carefully stepped through the entrance he had just made and slowly made his way towards the cockpit.

Despite how intact the plane appeared on the outside, inside it was a different story. The impact had caused furniture and other items which were stored in the plane to come lose and they now littered the path to the cockpit; that along with the smoke which lingered in the air and the bobbing of the plane on the waves, which Gordon could feel were starting to get rougher, made his simple walk toward the cockpit a little more difficult. Squinting slightly through the haze of smoke surrounding him Gordon cautiously shuffled forward, trying his best not to stand on or trip over everything in his path. Unfortunately while trying to avoid something under his feet (he couldn't tell exactly what it was) Gordon managed to lose his balance and fall over an overturned passenger chair.

"Damn it" he muttered to himself as he got to his feet, wobbling slightly as the plane was hit by what felt like a pretty large wave

"Thunderbird 2 from Thunderbird 4"

"Go ahead Gordon. Is everything okay?" Virgil asked concerned. He clearly wasn't expecting to hear back from his younger brother so soon

"I'm fine" Gordon coughed as the smoke in the air tickled his lungs "It's just that things are starting to get a little bit rough down here. Just wondering if there's a storm approaching?"

"Just give me a moment and I'll find out what's going on" came Virgil's reply before the radio went quiet once again.

"Thunderbird 4 from Thunderbird 2. Seems you were right Gordon, John says there is a storm coming our way. We should be okay for about an hour, but I really don't fancy hanging around just in case"

"FAB Virg" Gordon replied as he came to the doorway which led to the plane's cockpit. He peered in and could just make out the form of the pilot who was slumped unconsciously in the pilot's seat

"Hey Virgil, I've found the pilot; she's alive but unconscious"

"Okay Gordon. Can you get her out of there?"

"Sure thing Virg, it shouldn't be a problem"

"Thunderbird 5 and base from Thunderbird 2" Virgil said

"Go ahead Thunderbird 2" John replied

"What's up Virgil?" Scott added

"Gordon has been able to get access to the plane's cockpit. He's found the pilot, she's alive but unconscious" he informed his brothers

"That would explain why we couldn't get any response from her" John pointed out

"And it will make things easier getting her back to base" Scott commented

"Thunderbird 4 to Thunderbird 2" Gordon's voice cut through their conversation "I have the pilot and the black box onboard Four and I'm making my way back to the pod now"

"FAB Gordon" Scott told him, letting his younger brother know that Virgil wasn't the only one who had heard what he had said "and Gordon, good job".


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sorry for the delay with the update, life's been a bit hectic lately.

Thanks for the reviews and to those who are still following this story, I really appreciate it

After Thunderbird Two made it back to Tracy Island, Virgil made his way to the medical bay where Gordon had remained with the pilot they had rescued on their flight back to base.

"How is she?" he asked his younger brother as he entered the room and approached the stretcher bed that she was occupying

"Still unconscious I'm afraid, Virgil" Gordon replied

"Should make this easier then"

Between them, Virgil and Gordon carefully manoeuvred the stretcher the pilot was lying on out of the medical bay and off of Thunderbird Two. As they stepped out into Two's hangar, they were joined by Scott and Alan.

"We need to take her up to the sick room and get Brains to check her over" Gordon informed them

"Okay. Gordon, Alan you take her up to the sick room; I'll let father know what is going on" Scott told them, as he rested a hand on Virgil's chest to stop him from following their younger brothers and their guest. Virgil looked down at Scott's hand and then up at Scott's face, confused as to why he was stopping him

"You okay Virg?" Scott asked him. He had noticed the way that Virgil had been looking at the pilot as they stretchered her down from Two and it had concerned him

"I'm fine Scott." Virgil told him "I'm going to get changed, I have some maintenance I want to get done" with that he walked passed his brother and left the hangar.

Scott stood there alone for a few moments watching as Virgil walked away. Although he would not admit it, Scott knew that something was bothering his brother, and he as determined to find out what it was. But for the moment he needed to give their father an update.

A little while later and Scott was with Jeff in the sick room. They were both stood around the bed looking down at their mystery guest. Brains had contacted them to inform then that he believed she was due to regain consciousness at any moment and they both wanted to be there when that happened. Slowly she began to stir her eyes opening briefly then closing again as the light over powered her. A few moments later she tried again, groaning slightly as she opened her eyes fully this time, blinking several times as her eyes adjusted. That was when she noticed the two men standing over her

"Scott!" she mumbled drowsily as she looked up at him. A small smile then spread across her face as her gaze moved over to a pale looking Jeff "Dad!" she said acknowledging him, the strength returning to her voice as she spoke.

Scott and Jeff looked at each other, the confusion each man felt they saw mirrored back at them in the others face. The pilot clearly saw this and as their gaze turned back to her, she realised what was wrong...they didn't recognise her

"Scott, what's going on? She asked, desperation clear in her voice

"I'm sorry" Scott said in reply "But am I supposed to know you?" She recoiled as if she had been stung, a reaction that neither of the men stood around her missed

"Of course you know me, I'm your sister"

"Excuse me?" Scott exclaimed

"I said I'm your sister" she repeated

"I heard what you said" he replied back, anger creeping into his voice "But you can't be because I don't have a sister"

"What?" she gasped, her hand covering her mouth in shock at his words. Her gaze moved back and forth between Scott and his father. She desperately hoped that this was some sort of nightmare, because it certainly wasn't a very funny joke.

"Scott, please" she pleaded desperately

"Who are you really?" Jeff demanded before he began coughing loudly. He wanted answers and he wanted them quickly.

"My name is Avery Marie Tracy" she told them "I'm a member of your family as well as a member of International Rescue" Avery had been determined that her words would come out sounding strong and confident. But instead as she spoke her words sounded weak and her voice was trembling; threatening to break.

"We have no one by that name in our family" Jeff said bluntly, his voice hoarse. He paced awkwardly back and forth at the foot of the bed that Avery was occupying. Scott stepped forward and gently placed a hand on his father's shoulder, stopping him from wearing himself out.

"I want to know who put you up to this?" he demanded again.

Avery didn't know what to say, she was clearly as confused by what was happening as they seemed to be.

"No one, I..." her voice trailed off as the realisation of what Jeff's words were implying. They thought that she was an imposter. That she was trying to lie her way into their family. They believed that she was a fraud. "No one put me up to this" she tried again "You have to believe me"

Tears filled her eyes "Please Scott you believe me don't you?" when Scott didn't reply she returned her gaze to him and that was when she noticed the expression on his face. It was one of disgust

"Hey Scott you haven't seen the..." Virgil was saying quietly as he entered the sick room to find his eldest brother. He came to a dead stop when he noticed that something was wrong. He could tell by Scott's posture. He then realised that there guest was awake because of the gasp that came from the bed the moment he entered the room and approached Scott

"Virgil?" she whispered, her voice shaking almost as much as her left hand which had been brought up to her mouth once again. "This isn't real. It can't be..." she mumbled. Her eyes which didn't leave Virgil, once again filled with tears

"Where the hell did you get that?" Jeff suddenly said angrily, taking the rooms occupants by surprise; Scott visibly jumping at his father's outburst. Jeff was pointing at her hand, his body shaking with both rage and because of his bout of flu. Both Scott and Virgil's gaze followed to where their father was pointing. That was when Virgil recognised what had upset Jeff so much

"My ring" he gasped in surprise

"What?" Scott asked confused

"But that's not possible" Virgil continued, ignoring his brother

"What's happening here?" Avery demanded now she had once again found the ability to speak "Who are you people, why are you doing this to me?" fear was clear in her voice

"We're not doing anything to you" Virgil told her, his voice strained. Scott realised that his brother was struggling to get his head around what had happened since he had walked into the sick room.

"Yeah, what do you mean 'Who are we'?" Scott continued "You're the one who said you know us remember?..."

Avery shook her head, more from confusion rather than denial

"...You're the one who said that I should know you because you're my "sister"" Scott finished, drawing quotation marks in the air when he said the word sister "Why are you suddenly changing your story now" his voice oozed with sarcasm and spite

"What...sister?" now it was Virgil's turn to sound confused "She's claiming to be our sister?" Virgil asked looking between his brother and his father waiting for an answer. Scott nodded his response "But that isn't possible we don't have a sister"

"I know. She even called father dad" Scott told him, anger simmering beneath the surface as he spoke this time

"I didn't say I was your sister" Avery said firmly, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on Virgil as she spoke

"Yes you did" Scott spat back, the anger still there

"I said I was your sister" she replied, turning her gaze to Scott and directing her gaze back to him

"Oh god no!" Virgil muttered to himself, the realisation suddenly hitting him

"What is it Virg?" Scott asked, concerned by how pale his brother had just become

"She isn't claiming to be my sister" he clarified, his voice shaking as the words left his lips

"What so you mean son?" Jeff asked, just as concerned by Virgil's reaction as Scott clearly was "Wait...do you mean to say that..." Jeff continued then stopped suddenly as it all clicked into place and he understood what it was that Virgil was getting at

"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Scott demanded still confused

Virgil coughed to clear his throat before he spoke again "She isn't claiming to be my sister" he said again, the tremble in his voice was still there "She's claiming that she's..." his voice trailed off. He was unable to say what it was that had clearly got him upset. Instead Virgil just stared at Avery, his eyes asking her what it was he wanted to know.

Avery just stared back at him and silently nodded her head.


	5. Chapter 5

"You're wife!" Alan exclaimed surprised at what he had just heard. After the conversation Scott, Virgil and Jeff had had in the sick room with their guest once she had regained consciousness, they had gathered in the lounge. Scott had just brought Alan, Gordon and John – who had joined them over the communications link from Thunderbird 5 up to speed.

"Is there something you're not telling us Virg?" Gordon asked his brother and trying hid hardest not to laugh, yet failing miserably

"It's not funny Gordon" Jeff said as sternly as he could with his croaky voice, trying to rein in his most playful son before he said something he'd regret

"Are we sure that she isn't telling us the truth and that Virgil just forgot it happened or something?" Gordon continued, ignoring his father's warning

"Gordon that's enough" Scott snapped angrily. His gaze turned from his red haired younger brother to Virgil. To Scott he still looked pale. Obviously the revelation in the sick room had had a profound effect on him and he hated seeing Virgil looking like this. That was why Gordon's comments had gotten him angry

"Virg, are you okay?" Scott asked, his tone softening from how it was moments earlier

Virgil was sat on the sofa staring down at his hands. Scott knew he had heard what Gordon had said, he hadn't reacted. Although Virgil wasn't as impulsive or as emotional as his brothers, his lack of response to Gordon's comment was still a concern; and it wasn't only Scott that noticed it

At Scott's enquiry, Virgil lifted his head up and looked over at is eldest brother. "I think so Scott. Just not sure what to make of all this" he said quietly

"Well obviously she's lying" Alan interjected, trying to make Virgil feel better "I mean, what other explanation is there"

"That's what we need to find out" Jeff croaked again as five pairs of eyes turned towards him

"But why would she lie when it's so obvious that she is?" Virgil asked rhetorically not really expecting to get an answer; yet Gordon decided to give him one

"Because she's crazy" he replied flippantly "Or because it's like I said, she is telling the truth and..."

"Shut up Gordon" Virgil yelled getting to his feet "I know you think you're funny, but this isn't a joke, its serious" he then fled the room, heading out towards the pool area

"Nice job Gordo" Alan commented in a sarcastic tone

"I didn't mean anything by it, really" Gordon said with an almost childish whine in his voice "I was only trying to lighten the mood"

"Yeah and look how well that turned out" Alan replied back

"That's enough boys!" Jeff told his youngest son's, his annoyance very clear. He was about to speak again when he was overcome with yet another coughing fit

"Right now we have more important issues to address" he continued once he could speak again

"I'm going to go and check on Virgil, see if he's okay" Scott said getting to his feet and turning towards the door

"No Scott. I want you to go to the sick room and see how our guest is doing..."

"But father" Scott pleaded, interrupting his father mid sentence

"No buts Scott" Jeff scolded lightly, holding his hand up indicating that he wanted his son to stop "We need answers"

"But Virgil..." Scott went on

"I'll go check on Virgil" the softness in his father's tone caught Scott's attention. That was when Scott realised that the worry he had seen earlier in his father's eyes wasn't just because of what Avery had said. It was because he was also worried about how Virgil was handling the revelation. Jeff turned and headed outside in the direction that Virgil had fled, desperate to find his distressed son; while Scott reluctantly returned to the sick room to speak to their guest once more


	6. Chapter 6

Wow can't believe I got this chapter up so soon.

Thanks everyone for reading and a big massive thanks to those who have reviewed its amazing to hear from you. This may be my last update before Christmas but who knows what might happen (although at the moment I'm sympathising with Jeff and his flu as I'm currently full of a stupid cold 😞)

Hope you enjoy the next chapter and that you have a FAB Christmas. Love Jojo x

(sadly I don't own the Thunderbirds but the OC is all mine)

Chapter 6

Jeff squinted as he stepped outside in search of Virgil. The sun seemed brighter than usual, but Jeff put it down to the fact that he had been stuck inside for the last few days recuperating. He found is son sat perched on the edge of a sun lounger beside the pool. He could tell as he got closer to Virgil that this entire situation was bothering him. His usually confident and level headed son looked unnaturally pale and withdrawn; not to mention his reaction earlier back in the lounge.

Usually Gordon's pranks and sense of humour didn't bother his brothers very much, especially not Virgil, so his outburst had been a total shock to everyone

"You okay son? Jeff asked his voice sounding strained. Virgil clearly had been caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't heard his father approach as he flinched slightly as Jeff spoke

"I think so" Virgil replied after a moment. Carefully Jeff sat next to Virgil and turned his gaze towards his son

"You don't have to pretend around me Virgil we can all see that this situation is bothering you. I mean your outburst..."

"I'm sorry about that" Virgil said quickly, embarrassment creeping across his features. His reaction to Gordon's comments was clearly bothering him as much as Avery's revelation.

"You have nothing to apologise for" Jeff reassured him

"Yes I do. I shouldn't have reacted like that, I never react like that" Virgil looked down at the floor, unable to look his father in the eye. "Is Gordon okay?" he asked finally

"Yeah" Jeff told him, a small smile on his lips. It never ceased to amaze Jeff how his boys always seemed to put the welfare of his brothers before himself "You know how is, he speaks without thinking sometimes. I believe he is feeling guilty about upsetting you" Jeff stopped as a sudden coughing fit seized him

"Dad, you should be resting" Virgil told him, his concern evident in his eyes as he looked back up at his father. It was then that Virgil realised how fragile his father was looking.

Spending so much of his time on the island had isolated Jeff from being exposed to the same bouts of colds or flu that others experienced when living in busy communities. However an unavoidable business trip had seen Jeff leave the island to be stuck in a six hour meeting with a potential Tracy Industries investor. The only downside was that the investor had coughed and sneezed his way through the entire meeting. Sure enough a few days later Jeff was laid up with a bad case of the flu. This has meant that Scott had been in charge of running operations from the base in his absence.

It had also meant that John and Alan had had to postpone their usual shift swap up on Thunderbird 5 until it was clear that Alan wasn't infected or until Jeff had recovered enough not to infect John on his return. Feeling like he had isolated himself from the rest of the world by being on their island, Jeff realised that it must be more of a risk for John who was even more isolated while he was on International Rescues orbiting space station

"I will" Jeff told Virgil "as soon as I find out that you're going to be okay and when we work out what on earth is going on here" he managed before coughing uncontrollably once again

"I'm fine dad...really" Virgil informed him, trying his best to sound a lot more convincing than he actually felt

The truth was at that moment Virgil wasn't entirely sure how he was feeling. He knew that what this Avery woman was claiming was a lie, but that wasn't what was really bothering him. A big concern was where she got her information form. She knew things about him and his family that she shouldn't know. Especially something as intimately private as the ring she was wearing on her finger. Also why would someone claim to be a member of his family; not only that why would she be claiming to be his wife? But no his biggest concern was his reaction when he first saw her. He didn't know what to make of it but all he knew was he couldn't stop thinking about her and that troubled him

"Virgil?" Jeff asked worried by his son's silence

"Sorry dad I was just thinking" he replied as he got to his feet "I'm going to go in and apologise to Gordon" he told his father.

"You don't need to do that Son, besides I think he's the one who should be apologising"

Virgil just shrugged. "Perhaps. You need to get back in and get some rest"

"Okay" Jeff chuckled as he too got to his feet and together the two of them made their way back to the lounge.


	7. Chapter 7

Hi guys. Wanted to get this posted as a small Christmas gift to all of you who are following this story.

Just want to say a massive thanks to everyone who has been reading, reviewed and is following/favourited this story. It means so much to me.

I'm sure if I'm 100% happy with this chapter so you'll have to let me know what you think

Hope you all have a great Christmas. Jo xx

Chapter 7

Both men entered the lounge, Jeff taking the lead followed closely by Virgil. As they walked in Alan, Gordon and Brains looked up at them. Scott no longer in the room.

When his brothers eyes met his, Virgil looked away, a blush colouring his cheeks slightly. He was clearly feeling embarrassed by his earlier outburst. Gordon got up from his seat in front of their fathers desk and made his way towards his father and brother

" Gordo I'm sorry about shouting earlier" Virgil said, cutting his brother off before he had chance to speak " I shouldn't have reacted like that…."

"No Virg I'm the one who needs to apologise. It was wrong of me to make a joke about this when it was clearly bothering you" Gordon stretched his hand out towards his older brother. Virgil took it then pulled him into a hug

"It's okay, really. I guess the reason I reacted the way I did was cos I was afraid you might have been right"

"What do you mean Virg?" Alan asked him

"I was afraid that maybe I had gotten myself in such a bad state during some downtime that I had actually married her and couldn't remember doing it" he told them, a small chuckle in his voice although his cheeks once again flushed in embarrassment

"How can you be so sure that you didn't?" Gordon said, asking the question they were all thinking

"Because of her ring" he replied

When he noticed the confusion on his brothers faces he explained "For some reason I can't explain she's wearing a ring which looks exactly like the ring you gave to mom" Virgil told them, although his gaze was fixed on there father who in return nodded his understanding. Jeff had also recognised the ring their guest was wearing "yet I know mine is safely tucked away in my room and hasn't left the island".

The ring was one that Jeff had given his wife on the day that Virgil was born. In fact it was something he had done after all his sons were born and it was decided that the rings would be given to the boys once they had turned 18 for them to give to their future wives. Obviously due to their commitments with International Rescue that had yet to happen. But the existence of the rings was something that was unknown to anyone outside the Tracy family so how their guest had one was the biggest part of the puzzle they had to solve.

They were just going to have to wait and see if Scott could get anymore answers. As well as what Information Brains could get from the planes black box. Maybe it would give them a clue as to where the plane had actually came from. But for the time being all they could do was wait.

Silently Scott entered the sick room. A part of him was hoping that Avery was sleeping so he could put off this conversation until later, but the other part of him wanted to drag her off the island and put her back in the ocean where they found her for upsetting his brother.

Taking a deep breath Scott approached the foot of the bed which Avery still occupied. Brains had just been through to inform them that he was still wanting to run a couple more tests on the pilot as there were some anomalies in her results. For the moment they were having to wait while the medical equipment Brains had in his lab was running some tests on a blood sample he had obtained.

"Scott?" Avery said looking up at him as he stopped by her bed. Scott did the best he could to project his authority as field commander of International Rescue and the oldest son of Jeff Tracy, but in all honesty he wasn't sure if that was how it was coming across. In fact he was convinced that the only emotion she was picking up from him was anger; but at that moment he really didn't care if that was the case.

The truth was he was angry. Very angry.

He was angry that someone had come literally crashing into their lives claiming to be a part of their family and their organisation and he wanted to know why. But more than that, he wanted to know where she was getting her information from.

Avery could feel the anger and hostility pouring out from him.

"Are you here to interrogate me?." She asked him, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke "because I'm not going to tell you anything" then she added her voice more of a whisper this time "I'll never betray my family"

"Excuse me. Your family?." Scott spat back at her, no longer able to contain his anger "You are not a part of this family"

"No" Avery replied shaking her head, tears filling her eyes " you're the one who isn't part of my family"

"What!"

"If you're trying to get me to reveal anything about International Rescue, it's never going to happen" she glared at him in defiance

"I want to know where you got your intel about International Rescue?"

"My intel?" She said harshly "I could say the same about yours"

A look of confusion mixed with anger crossed Scott's face. A feeling Avery herself understood because was feeling the same

"What are you talking about?" He asked her

"Whoever gave you your information got it wrong. I mean the detail you have put in here is impressive but your information is out of date"

"Seriously…What the hell are you talking about?" Scott snapped, not even bothering to hide his anger anymore.

Avery said nothing. She didn't even make eye contact with Scott. She didn't want to be answering his questions, she wanted him to answer hers.

"Come on why are you being quiet all of a sudden?"

This time she looked up at him

The crazy thing was that he looked almost identical to the Scott she knew. The only way she could think of the describe the difference was that he looked younger somehow. Like how he looked before…

"What do you want from me?" She almost pleaded

"What do we want?" He asked a sarcastic chuckle in his voice "hey look lady you're the one who asked for our help remember?"

"I remember" she spat back "but that was when I thought I was asking the real International Rescue for help…not some imposters pretending to be them"

"Imposters? You're the one who was flying a modified replica of Tracy 1 and claimed you knew who we are. I'm sorry but we aren't the imposters here…you are"

"What!" She gasped. Scott's accusations and tone had clearly hurt her. Tears filled her eyes and it was taking all her self control not to scream at him

"Please, why are you doing this" she sobbed as tears streamed down her face, her voice barely more than a whisper

Scott just stood there at the foot of the bed, watching her. He had gone to speak to her like his father had wanted and he knew he should have been more gentle with her. But Virgil's reaction to her presence and revelations had angered him. He was angry at her not just because she had upset his brother, but because she had caused Virgil to pull away from him. Normally if something was bothering him, Virgil would confide in Scott and come to him for advice and guidance. But instead he had told Scott that he was fine, something which was disproven by his outburst at Gordon back in the lounge. Not only that Scott knew Virgil well enough to know that something was wrong.

The biggest reason why Scott was struggling to maintain his composure around their guest was because everything she said wasn't making any sense to him.

She was the one who had reached out to them for help and despite their concerns they had gone out and rescued her, knowing that there was a chance that Thunderbird 2was flying into a trap. However instead of the ambush that Scott had been steeling himself for, they had found a lone pilot, unarmed and unconscious. More than that she was claiming she was part of their family; that she was Virgil's wife!. Yet now here she was changing her story and accusing them of being imposters.

Scott knew he needed to get his temper under control otherwise they weren't going to get any further with his. He closed his eyes and slowly took in a deep breath. When he spoke again the anger that had been in his voice had all but gone

"Why do you think that we are imposters?

Avery looked up at him, surprised by the softness in his voice. Wiping her face with the back of her hand, she sniffed quietly before answering him

"Because of Virgil…" she replied her voice cracking as she said his name. Fresh tears made their way down her cheeks

"What about him?" Scott asked feeling even more confused.

"Where ever it was you got your intel from…it's out of date" The look of confusion remained on Scott's features. He either really didn't understand what it was she was talking about, or he was a very good actor. Regardless she continued "You almost had me convinced that you really are Scott and that I am back home on Tracy Island. But you ruined it…you went too far" her last few words almost sounded like she was mocking him, despite the sadness that clearly still underlined her tone.

"What are you talking about?" Scott was glad that she was talking to him, giving him something. The problem was that what she was saying still wasn't making any sense. In fact if it was possible he was sure she was making even less sense than she was when this whole conversation had started.

"Enough of the games 'Scott' or whoever you are" she told him "I know this isn't real so why don't you just stop playing your little game and tell me what it is you really want?"

Scott rubbed his hands over his face in frustration. He really didn't understand what the hell was going on. If it hadn't been for the fact that she knew things about his family he would have put her rambling down to her injuries from the accident…and what was she meaning about Virgil being the reason why this wasn't real.

"What about Virgil?" He asked her again, his voice stern and demanding "What does he have to do with this not being real? I want answers…now!"

Avery sniffed again and stared down at her hands. She remained quiet for several minutes and Scott was convinced that she wasn't going to answer him. Slowly she lifted her gaze back up to him and in a voice that was barely audible she said in reply "He shouldn't be here"


	8. Chapter 8

Just wanted to get one last chapter posted before the end of the year. It's short, but has a couple of big revelations. More to come soon

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I really appreciate all your kind words and encouragement

Happy New Year...and enjoy

Chapter 8

After his conversation with Avery had ended, Scott left the sick room and went in search of his father. He first went to check in his fathers bedroom expecting him to be there resting, but was surprised to find it was empty. So he headed back into the lounge. Once he got there he was even more surprised to find his father at his desk, alone- with the exception of John who had called in from Thunderbird 5.

"Don't worry son, I'll update you as soon as Scott…" Jeff was saying as Scott entered the room "Scott, how did it go?" He asked his eldest as Scott came to stand next to him at the desk

"Hi Scott"

"Hey John" Scott replied his voice sounding weary "how's it going up there?"

"All quiet at the moment, just a few minor storm fronts I'm monitoring, but at the moment they don't seem to be anything to worry about" he informed his brother, filling him in on what he had just been discussing with there father before Scott had entered the room

"How did it go Scott?" Jeff asked, eager to know what Avery had told him. Reluctantly Scott turned his gaze from John to his father. The almost haunted look in Scott's eye concerned Jeff, and he could tell by the equally concerned expression on John's face that he had noticed it too

"John I'll speak to you later" he told him

"FAB" John replied hesitantly before the communication was ended

"Where is everyone?" Scott asked glancing around the room, although he already knew that his brother was no longer there

"Alan and Gordon have gone for a swim, and I sent Virgil to his room. He was exhausted, so I asked Brain's to give him a mild sedative to help him get some rest. You boys have had a busy couple of days with rescues and taking care of everything while I have been unwell. Plus with everything else that's happened in the last few hours I think it's for the best" Jeff told him

"Is that wise considering the storms John's monitoring... what if we need to deploy…Virgil won't be in any fit state to fly Thunderbird 2…"

"And he'll be in an even worse state if he doesn't get any rest. Don't worry Scott if any calls come in you, Gordon and Alan will be able to deal with it between you"

"You're right father, I'm sorry" Scott agreed "I must confess that Virgil's reaction to Avery's presence here has me concerned" Jeff nodded his head in agreement with his son's words "But considering how he's been so far, i'm even more concerned with how he will react to what I have just found out"

"What was that son?" Jeff asked hesitantly

"Well father, Avery has told me that Virgil…"

Just as he was about to complete his sentence Brains returned to the lounge. His presence causing Scott to stop before he had finished what he was about to say. Jeff was going to ask Scott to continue but the agitated expression on the engineers face had distracted him

"Brains is everything okay?"

"I'm s..sorry for interrupting M..Mr Tracy" the genius said anxiously "b…but I have h..had the results b..back from the blood s…sample I had taken from o..our guest. I…I thought you would w..want the results r..right away"

"It's okay Brains" Scott told him "What have you found out?"

"W…well it turns out th..that Avery is pr..pregnant"

"What!" Both Scott and Jeff gasped in unison

"Are you sure Brains?" Jeff asked him. If it had been anyone other than Brains telling him this he would have thought that maybe they had misread the results, but not Brains, he didn't make simple mistakes like that

"I..I double ch..checked the results my..myself just to be s..sure" he confirmed

"Oh boy" Scott muttered under his breath, drawing the other men's attention

"What's wrong Scott?" Jeff asked getting up from his chair and approaching his son

"It's just something that Avery said to me that's all" Scott walked over to the small couch that was used to gain access to Thunderbird 3's silo, and slowly dropped down onto it. A very big part of him was hoping that all of this was just some crazy dream and that he would wake up to find that everything was back to normal. But he also knew that that wasn't going to happen…he also knew that he needed to update his father on the conversation he had had with Avery in the sick room. That along with this latest revelation from Brains had hit him like a blow to the guts. He also knew that if this piece of news was making him feel like this, he could not begin to imagine how it would affect Virgil

Scott looked up as Jeff walked over to him and joined him on the couch. He hated seeing the concerned look on his fathers face, but he knew that what he had to tell him would far from remove that expression

Scott them informed his father of the conversation he had had with Avery. How she had told him that she didn't believe that they were who they said they were. That they were the imposters and that the information they had was out of date.

"Why did she say that?" Jeff asked, his voice stern yet hoarse

"She said it was because Virgil shouldn't be here"

"Wh..where else would he be?" Brains asked. He had still been there listening quietly to what it was that Scott had told his father, that the other two men had all but forgotten that the engineer was still in the room

"She said he shouldn't be here…because he's dead!"


	9. Chapter 9

Just a quick update, the next chapter should follow soon. Thanks again for all the reviews and follows etc..much appreciated xx

Virgil yawned as he made his way into the kitchen. As he entered Kyrano turned away from the counter he was working at, busy preparing food for dinner and faced him a small smile on his face

"Coffee Mr Virgil?" He asked picking up a mug and making his way over to the coffee machine to pour a mug full of the steaming hot beverage. He then made his way back to Virgil and handed him the mug. Instinctively Virgil inhaled, taking in the smell of the freshly brewed coffee and a small smile crossed his features

"Thanks Kyrano" he said as he raised the mug to his lips and took a small sip "delicious as always"

"Thank you sir. Are you feeling any better after your rest? Mr Tracy said that you were not feeling very well?" Kyrano asked him, noting that Virgil's features were still a little paler than usual

"I'm fine, thanks Kyrano" just then his stomach let out a small growl, making both men chuckle slightly

"I will prepare you a small snack" Kyrano told him as he made his way over to the fridge to retrieve the ingredients to make Virgil a sandwich

"Father Mr Tracy would like…oh Virgil" Tin-Tin gasped as she saw Virgil standing there leaning against the counter cradling a steaming mug in his hand "How are you feeling?" She asked him as she made her way over to the coffee machine to refill the empty mug she had in her hand

"I'm ok" he told her as Kyrano made his way over with a plate containing a sandwich. The moment Virgil saw it his stomach rumbled again "or I will be as soon as I've eaten this. I'm starving"

Tin-Tin smiled at him and for a moment Virgil thought that he saw pity in her expression. Gratefully Virgil picked up the sandwich and almost devoured it in one bite. His actions causing a small laugh from Tin-Tin. "Better?" She asked to which Virgil just nodded, not wanting to speak with his mouth full

"I better get this back to your father, you know how he gets when you boys are out on a rescue"

"A rescue?" Virgil asked as he took his coffee and followed Tin-Tin to the lounge, thanking Kyrano again as he left

"Okay Alan I'll see you when you get back to base. When will Thunderbird 2 be heading home?" Virgil heard his father ask as he entered the lounge.

Jeff was sat at his desk while Alan's image looked down at him from his portrait. Virgil could see from the image that his youngest brother was at the controls of Thunderbird 1. Quietly so as not to interrupt their conversation, Virgil made his way over to his father's desk, placing his mug down on the corner

"Scott said that he and Gordon are just packing up then they will be right behind me" Alan paused then a small cheeky smile appeared on his face "but you know how slow Thunderbird 2 is…"

"Hey" Virgil gasped in mocked shock, a small smile also on his face

"Oh sorry Virg didn't see you there" Alan told him with a chuckle, his eyes glistening with amusement

"Oh I bet you didn't" Virgil replied sarcastically

"I got to go, see you when I get home" Alan told his father before he ended the transmission

Jeff turned to look at his older son, his eyes twinkling. Clearly the exchange between his two sons had amused him too, he let out a small chuckle as he spoke "How are you feeling Virgil?" Despite his amusement Virgil could still see the concern his father felt as he addressed him

"I'm feeling a lot better thanks dad, I guess the sleep must have…"

Suddenly he was interrupted by a beeping sound coming from the wall. The eyes of Scott's portrait flashing, letting them know that he was calling in

"Go ahead Scott" Jeff responded out of habit

"We are all packed up and returning to base" Scott informed his father. Virgil could make out the familiar cockpit of Thunderbird 2 behind him

"Okay Scott, see you when you get home…"

"Just don't get too comfortable in my chair" Virgil interrupted, winding his brother up

"There's no chance of that Virg, besides she's too slow for my liking"

"Hey What is this, pick on my 'bird' day?" Virgil commented feigning injury at Scott's comment

We'll have a debriefing after you've gotten yourselves cleaned up" Jeff continued putting a stop to his boys playful 'argument'

"FAB" Scott replied with a laugh before he too cut off the transmission

"Why wasn't I informed there was a Rescue?" Virgil asked his father, his tone serious again after his light hearted banter with Scott and Alan

"Because you needed your rest…"

"I would have been fine to fly Thunderbird 2…"

"Your brothers handled it" Jeff informed him, cutting him off "a family were cut off when the river near there home burst its banks. Luckily no one was hurt and thanks to John monitoring the situation your brothers were able to get there quickly before the situation got any worse"

"But…"

"You know why I didn't send for you Virgil" his father told him

"You can't let this situation with Avery stop me from doing my job…"

"I'm not. But it's clear that this situation has had an effect on you, and until we get to the bottom of this I will determine your ability to take part in any rescue at the time the call comes in"

Virgil threw his hands up in the air, clearly agitated

"Look son" Jeff said, his tone softening "I don't want to keep you off duty, but if you're too exhausted I'm not sending you out there. I'm not allowing you to risk the lives of others, your brothers or yourself just because I didn't make that call. Do you understand?"

Virgil nodded as he dropped down onto the sofa in front of his fathers desk. "Has there been anymore developments while I was resting?" He asked anxiously, his gaze moving away from his father. Jeff paused as if he was unsure what to say. But Virgil could tell by the look on his fathers face that something had happened and that he wasn't going to like it.


	10. Chapter 10

Hi guys. Thanks for the nice reviews on my last chapter. I know that you were hoping for some answers as to who Avery is and how she knows Virgil. Well here is a little more. Hope it will help with your own theories. The rest will be revealed very soon I promise. Enjoy

"What do you mean she told you I was dead?" Virgil asked Scott, confused

Once Scott, Gordon and Alan had returned to base and got themselves cleaned up, they made their way up to the lounge for a quick debrief with their father. Jeff was as usual , seated behind his desk, while Scott and Virgil sat next to each other in the sofas on the right hand side of the desk with Gordon and Alan sat opposite them on the left; with John joining them once again from onboard Five. Virgil had sat there anxiously waiting for the debrief to end. He hadn't said anything during his brothers run through of what had happened on the rescue – and their father had been right, it had been an easy one for a change; he also hadn't really been able to take in much of what they had been saying either. Instead, his mind had been whirling as to what it was that had happened while he had been sleeping in his room. As soon as the debrief was over, Scott then went on to tell Virgil what had taken place when he had questioned Avery about why she was there.

He was expecting a crazy answer that was for sure, but he hadn't been expecting this.

"After Scott told me what had happened I spoke to Brains and…"

"Wait" Virgil shouted angrily, interrupting his father "you all knew about this and didn't tell me" he looked around the room at his father and brothers accusingly "How could you keep this from me?" He demanded

"We didn't…" Scott tried, but Virgil wouldn't let him finish

"I thought you of all people would have had my back, but you…you…betrayed me" Virgil spat, struggling to get his words out

"It isn't your brothers fault Virgil" Jeff told him as he stepped towards where his two eldest sons were sitting "Scott wanted to tell you but I made the decision to leave it until you had had time to get some rest" Jeff stood in front of Virgil and placed a hand on his shoulder "so if you're going to get angry at anyone then it should be me, not Scott. Okay?"

"Yeah and this is the first we've heard anything about it too" Gordon added as Alan nodded in agreement with him

Virgil looked up at his father and nodded. Then his gaze returned to his older brother "Sorry Scott..l.." he said, his cheeks turning crimson

"It's okay Virg, I understand " Scott replied, his voice soft " besides, you have nothing to apologise for" Scott was relieved to see a small smile cross Virgil's lips, even if it was only for a brief moment

"So what did Brains find out?" Scott asked, as desperate to know what was going on as everyone else in the room, as well as those outside it - like John, his concerned face looking down on his anguished older brother.

"Well that's also what I am wanting to find out" Jeff informed them "in fact Brains should be here any minute now to let us know"

After what had felt like an eternity to Virgil, but in reality was only a couple of minutes, Brains entered the lounge. In his hand, the engineer was carrying a small computer device. But it wasn't this that had drawn everyone's attention. Neither was it Tin-Tin who had entered the room just behind Brains. No, the reason that everyone – we'll Virgil and his brothers at least, were sat there with their mouths open in total surprise was because of who else was with them….Avery

"What the hell is she doing in here?" Scott demanded, jumping to his feet in anger at her presence in the room

"Because I asked Brains and Tin-Tin to escort her from the sick room" Jeff replied hoarsely before letting out a small cough to try to clear his throat "she has as much right to know what Brains has discovered as the rest of us do" Jeff told his sons. Although his voice was still a little croaky from his bout of flu and from coughing so much, his authority was still very obvious as he spoke. "Have a seat" he told Avery as he pointed to the empty seat next to his desk, "You too Scott". Scott did as he was asked and sat back down. Avery reluctantly walked over to the seat and lowered herself into it.

As she sat, she kept her gaze fixed firmly on the floor in front of her, but she could feel the stares of the other rooms occupants boring into her. Something else which really wasn't helping the butterflies in her stomach.

When Brains and Tin-Tin has entered the sick room to tell her that they wanted her to accompany them, a part of her was glad to be getting out of that room. Yet at the same time, another part of her was terrified to leave it, especially since she had no idea what to expect. Although these people looked familiar to her, somethings still weren't quite right; the same was true for her surroundings. When she was following them she had realised that the corridors that she was walking down were very familiar and that was when the butterflies had began, her palms became sweaty and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. At one point as they approached the doorway she recognised as leading into the lounge she was almost convinced that she wouldn't make it before passing out. Every detail was damn near perfect. The route from the sick room to the lounge was what she was familiar with, what she knew; even the turns and the curves of the walls were the same. Realising this had made her heart speed up even more because it made her realise the extent that these people had gone to to convince her that she was in fact home on Tracy Island. But this was also the part that she had trouble getting her head around. If that had gone to all of this much effort to try and recreate the island why then had they got such a big detail wrong such as Virgil's presence here and why were they pretending that they didn't know her? No, something was clearly not right, and as nervous as she was she was hoping that this was going to be when she found out what that something was.

Nervously Avery glanced around the room, taking it all in. There was so much that was familiar, yet something wasn't quite right. Some of the pieces in the room were different to what she knew. But the most obvious difference to her were the portraits on the wall, the order was different. She noticed that John's portrait was first whereas she was used to Scott's being in that position. That was also the moment she realised that John's portrait was no longer just a picture but that it was showing a live image of him from up on Thunderbird 5.

Jeff returned to his chair and sat back down behind his desk. For a moment he just sat there observing their guest. That was when he noticed Avery's gaze was fixed on Virgil. He also noticed that when his son would looked over at her she returned her gaze to the floor, a slight blush colouring her otherwise pale features.

"Right Brains, What have you found out?" Jeff asked once Brains had come and stood next to his desk.

"L…looking at all the i..i..information I..I have gathered, I..i have a couple of th..th..theories as to what I believe may be ha..happening here"

"A couple of theories?" Scott commented. Brains just nodded

"Are any of them that we are being conned?" Alan asked incredulously

"Alan!" Tin-Tin scolded him "That's not a very nice thing to say"

"Sorry" he muttered in apology, blushing slightly at Tin-Tin's admonishment

"I'm not conning anyone" Avery told them, drawing everyone's attention away from Alan and back to her. That was all except Virgil's as his attention had remained firmly on her from the moment she entered the room. "I don't know what is going on here anymore than you all do, but I promise you that everything I have told you is the truth"

"Okay then Brains" Virgil said, his gaze not moving from Avery as he spoke "I think it's time you let us know what it is you have come up with"

"R..right" Brains began "this is a..a little co..complicated, so I..l'll do my best to..to go through everything sl..slowly"

"Okay, just start at the beginning" Jeff told him.

Brains looked around the room, everyone was looking at him in anticipation of what he was about to tell them.

"A..actually if you don't mind M..Mr Tracy, I'd like for John to start" he said, looking up at John's image on the wall

"Sure Brains" John replied confidently. "Brains asked me to do a bit of digging into Avery's background…to find out if she is who she says she is". He paused as he noticed the shocked expression that crossed Avery's face. Clearly her reaction meant she hadn't expected them to have done a background check on her. Which he found odd, especially if she was supposed to know them. She should know that this would be something that they would do in order to protect themselves and their organisation.

"What did you find out John?" Scott asked, prompting his brother to continue

"Sorry Scott" John apologised before he continued "According to Brains her DNA is a match for an Avery Marie Jenson…"

"So she did lie to us!" Gordon snapped outburst earning him a glaring look from his father telling him not to do it again

"It's not a lie. That was my maiden name" Avery told them

"But there was something in the background search which got my attention"

"What was that John?" Jeff asked. John looked over at Brains, who nodded his agreement for him to continue

"According to the file, Avery Marie Jenson died in a car accident three months before International Rescue went into operation"


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry about the delay, been a crazy couple of weeks

Thanks for the reviews they've been amazing. Hopefully this chapter will answer some of your questions

Jo xx

Chapter 11

"That's impossible" Avery gasped, surprised by John's revelation. How could she be dead? But then the news of her being dead when she wasn't was no stranger than the mystery of why Virgil was alive when she knew that he was dead. Right?.

"Could the DNA or the records have been faked or tampered with?" Scott asked

"That's not impossible Scott, but it's highly unlikely since they are secured government records?" John reminded him

After a string of identity thefts several decades earlier, the world government had made it compulsory for the DNA of all deceased persons to be recorded. This was because the identities which were being stolen were of people who had passed away. These were then being used as alternate identities by known, hunted criminals. Thanks to this new initiative, if someone tried to use the identity of someone who was on the system registered as dead, it would trigger an alarm. This system was used by all law enforcement agencies as well as a part of the background checks during job applications.

"A..and her DN..A is a..a perfect ma..match for the Avery J..Jenson the government h..has on file, like J..John says" Brains confirmed.

"You mean if she was going to lie about her identity, why pick someone who can easily be proven to be dead" Scott understood what Brains was saying

"E..e..xactly"

"Okay so what does this mean?" Jeff asked "as far as your theories go"

"Well" Brains began "the i..issue with her DNA be..being on file as m..matching someone who is dead, and th..that there is a 100% match…plus the I'm..image on file is almost i..identical" at that moment Brains pushed a button on the desk in front of him and the portrait next to John, which showed Scott's image, changed. It now contained an image of a young woman who looked a lot like Avery, except that the woman in the picture looked a little younger and had short, dark hair; whereas Avery's hair was longer and lighter in colour

"She could almost be her twin sister" Gordon commented

"Obviously hair styles can change over time" Jeff added coughing slightly between words

"That's what we were thinking" John confirmed "so we did a facial analysis just to be sure, and apart from the fact the Avery on the island with you shows evidence that her nose has been broken…their facial features are a match" on hearing John's comment about her nose, Avery's hand instinctively went up to touch it

"I broke it while on a rescue" she told them

"Okay so you have no doubts as to her identity?" Virgil asked, his words drawing everyone's attention as it was the first time he had spoken in a while

"We could a..ar..argue that she h..had had surgery to al..alter her features…"

"But that wouldn't explain the DNA match" Virgil nodded, understanding where Brains was going with his explanation "so you've ruled out that theory?"

"We..we have f..for now" Brains confirmed.

"So what is the theory that you have come up with Brains?" Tin-Tin asked curiously. Murmurs from around the room making it clear that everyone else was wanting to know what Brains had come up with. Brains and John quickly shared a look as Brains cleared his throat

"The th..theory we ha..have come u.u..up with is that A..Avery is in fact f..from a parallel universe"

The room went deathly silent.

"Are you serious?...surely you can't be serious?" Gordon asked. Gordon loved a good joke but Brains was not one for telling them, at least not in a serious situation like this; and to be honest it really wasn't very funny.

"I..I'm afraid I am G..Gordon. At least the e..e..evidence seems to p..point towards this e..e..explanation"

"Evidence?" Jeff questioned

"The f..f…first piece of e..evidence we have is the b..b..black box"

"From the modified Tracy 1" Alan added

"E..e..exactly Alan. The d..d..data I retrieved f.. the box shows that t..t..the plane left from th..th..these co-ordinates"

"And the plane did look a lot like our Tracy 1" Gordon commented "apart from its modifications"

"It was modified so that if it was ever shot down over water there was a greater chance that it would stay afloat until help arrived" Avery said, her voice barely more than a whisper

"Shot down?" Scott asked "why would your plane be shot down?"

"All planes are at risk cos of the war…" Avery began

"War!" Jeff, Scott and Gordon gasped in unison

Avery looked wearily at the other occupants of the room. Her comment about the war seemed like a complete surprise to all of them. "I'm guessing from your reaction that there's no war here?"

"No" Jeff shook his head

"That would explain a few things I suppose" Avery remarked

"What things?" Virgil asked her, his attention focusing on her again. Avery looked away from him, unable to deal with his gaze

"For a start, why Alan doesn't have a scar on his face…"

"What scar?" Alan asked, his voice squeaking at the end in surprise

"The Alan I know has a scar on the left side of his face…down his cheek and round by his left eye" she explained, gesturing on her own face as she spoke "he was injured when an unexploded bomb went off during a rescue"

"Sounds like there's a lot we need to discuss" Jeff managed as he once again began coughing

"Father, I think that maybe you should head back to bed, get some rest for a few hours" Scott told him as he made his way over to Jeff. Although he was still seated behind his desk, he was hunched over as he fought to control the coughing. After a few more seconds the coughing had ended and Jeff was able to speak again

"I guess you're right son" he told Scott as he gasped to get his breath back. Slowly Jeff rose to his feet

"I'll help your father back to his room" Tin-Tin informed Scott as she came up to Jeff's right hand side

"Thanks Tin" Scott said warmly as she helped a clearly exhausted Jeff out of the room

"I guess dad over did it today" Alan commented as they all watched their father leave the lounge

"I think that's the longest he's been out of bed since he became ill" Gordon added.

"Guys keep me informed with what's going on okay" John's voice came in over the comm, startling Virgil who had actually forgotten that his brother was there, What with everything that had just gone on

"FAB" Scott said looking up at John. John nodded and he disconnected the communication, leaving his portrait back in place of his live image. Scott took a seat in Jeff's chair behind his desk and looked over at Avery

"So now what?" She asked him as he sat there scrutinising her

"Honestly…I don't know" he told her "I think we'll need to talk some things through as a family and decide where to go from here"

"I understand"

"In the mean time if Brain says it's okay for you to leave the sick room, you should be okay to move into one of the guest rooms" Scott continued

"I..I..it shouldn't be a p..p..problem" Brains confirmed.

"I'll escort Avery to the guest room" Virgil told them as he got to his feet. Avery looked up at him then she too got to her feet.

"Thanks" She said as she followed Virgil out of the lounge towards the bedrooms. They walked in silence until they reached the door to the guest room where Avery would be staying

"This will be your room while you're here" he informed her, not sure what else to say

"Thanks" Avery replied as Virgil opened the door for her and gestured for her to go inside. Avery entered the room with Virgil close behind her, yet he stayed just inside the door. She was surprised to find that the room was very similar to the guest room back on her Tracy Island

"The bathroom is through there…" Virgil said, pointing towards the door on the other side of the room

"I know, it's a similar layout to what I'm used to" She told him.

Virgil looked down at the floor, it was clear he was feeling awkward being there alone with her. In fact his reaction to her presence almost reminded her of how her Virgil was when they first met. The thought brought a small smile to her face for an instant. "Well I suppose I should let you get some rest" he eventually said, although he didn't make eye contact with her. He turned to leave the room but was stopped by Avery's hand on his arm

"Don't leave" she pleaded. This caused Virgil to finally look up and for the first time since they had entered the guest bedroom he made eye contact

"I really should…" he began

"Please" the intense look in her eye caught Virgil by surprise "it's been a very strange day for me, I really don't want to be on my own right now" she said "and I've missed being with you" she added quietly

"Avery…l.."

"Look I know you're not my Virgil, but I'd really appreciate your company…that's all" she clarified, realising that he had got the wrong idea to what she meant when she had asked him to stay.

After a few moments Virgil nodded his agreements he entered the room properly and closed the door behind him. He then made his way over to the chair next to the bed and took a seat

"Okay, I'll stay for a little while, until you feel more comfortable" he told her

"Thank you"

"I'll just let Scott know what's happening" he said as she made her way into the bathroom to freshen up. Virgil made his way over to the chair near the doors leading out to the balcony as he prepared himself to radio through to Scott via his watch. He really didn't know how his older brother would react to Virgil spending time alone with Avery like this.

But he also knew there was only one way to find out…


	12. Chapter 12

I'm back with the next chapter, also thought it would be nice to post it with today being the anniversary of Virgil Grissom's death, the astronaut who Virgil was named after 🙂

Thanks again for all the reviews, follows, favourites and for reading

Enjoy

Chapter 12

A while later Avery emerged from the bathroom. She was wishing that she had a change of clothes with her as the jeans and red shirt she was wearing were not going to be the comfiest things to sleep in. As she walked into the bedroom, to her surprise she found a nightgown on the bed and the door to the balcony was open. As she made her way over to the open door she could make out Virgil standing, leaning on the railing looking out towards the ocean. Cautiously she stepped through the door on to the balcony, enjoying the cool breeze that blew through her now, loose hair. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, savouring the feeling.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" Virgil asked her. She opened her eyes to see that he had turned around from the railing and was looking at her, a small smile on his face

"It is" Avery agreed as she made her way over to join him "and a beautiful view too" she added as her gaze took in the view of the ocean before her then stopped on him, her posture tense

"Everything okay?" Virgil asked, concerned as he noticed she was looking around her as if she was expecting something to happen

"I'm sorry, just an old habit" she explained. The inquisitive look Virgil gave her compelled her to explain "You see on my Island, we can't enjoy the night air or scenery like this"

"Because of the war?"

Avery nodded "Unfortunately yes. We have to be really careful not to draw attention to the fact that we live on the island, so everything is camouflaged"

"Ah, I see" Virgil said although even he wasn't sure if he really did or not

"Basically" she went on "if anyone flew over the island it would look as uninhabited as the other smaller islands surrounding her. Unfortunately it means we don't get to enjoy the island in the same way you clearly do"

"I'm sorry. I bet that must be difficult for your Gordon then if he doesn't get to use the pool" Virgil commented

"He was lucky, the pool was included in the camouflage, so we can still use it whenever we want. Sadly that isn't as much as we would like" her expression became saddened as she added "Besides Gordon hasn't been in the pool for months, not since we lost…" she stopped and looked away. But just before she turned her head Virgil saw the tears that were threatening to fall

"I'm sorry" he said again, this time in a comforting tone "I didn't mean to upset you"

"It's okay" she told him, wiping her eyes before she turned back to face him "I'm still trying to come to terms with it…we all are"

"Would you like some tea" he said quickly changing the subject. Virgil indicated the tray which contained a pot and two cups that was on the small table which occupied the balcony, around it were two chairs "Tin brought it, as well as the nightgown, which she left on the bed…while you were in the shower"

"Yes, thank you" She said as they both made their way over to the table, each taking a seat. Virgil poured the tea into a cup "she made up one her father's camomile blends, hopefully it will help you to relax"

A small smile crossed Avery's face, but Virgil found that the smile, sadly did not reach Avery's eyes. He handed her the cup, which she took gratefully.

"I see that your Tin-Tin is just as sweet and considerate as my own" She told Virgil as she brought the tea cup up to her nose and inhaled the flowery scent of the tea, before carefully sipping on it. "It's delicious" she added as she placed the cup down on the table in front of her. "In fact it's very strange how so many things are different yet they also feel familiar"

"How so?" He asked as he too placed his cup down on the table after taking a sip himself

"Apart from what you already know" she said "I'm guessing that there are a lot of other things that are different because there is no war here"

"Yeah, but like what?" Virgil asked with a chuckle

"I won't know the answer to that unless you tell me a couple of things about your world so I can compare now will I" she replied also chuckling, before stopping and going silent. She looked down at her hands which were sitting restlessly in her lap.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, it's just strange sitting here talking to you after everything that's happened…I know that you're not my Virgil, but you look and sound just like him that for a second…" she went quiet once again and Virgil saw the tears returning to her eyes

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have stayed with you…clearly my presence is upsetting you…" he said sounding flustered as he got to his feet "I should go and let you.."

"Please don't" She pleaded grabbing his arm to stop him as she also got to her feet. Virgil looked at her and saw the pain in her eyes, but he was sure he saw something else there too, he just wasn't sure what it was. Somewhat reluctantly he nodded and sat back down. Avery did the same, letting go of him asa she did so.

"Thank you" She said after a few moments of silence had passed between them "I understand your reason for wanting to leave.."

"I wasn't going to leave because I did want to be here"

"I know" she told him, nodding slightly "like I said, I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that he's gone. I just miss him so much" this time a tear did escape but she made no attempt to hide it

"I can't imagine what you're going through" he said trying to find some way to comfort her "the only person I really remember losing was my mother, but I was lucky because I had the rest of my family there to help me through it. It's part of the reason why we're so close I guess"

"Yeah mine were the same, even after we lost Grandma Tracy a couple of uyears back" her expression became somber again "however things were different when we lost Virgil. It almost tore the family apart…" Virgil watched her, not sure if he should say something or not, but then he didn't know what he could say. Clearly Avery and her version of his family had been through a traumatic few years. To be honest he really couldn't begin to imagine what it was they had been through, What with a war, losing Grandma and now having to deal with the loss of their Virgil too. It was certainly difficult to think about

"I just hate the fact that although I sort of got to say goodbye to Virgil" she continued "there was so much I wish I had told him, you know?"

Truth was Virgil didn't really know. Although he had been in several relationships over the years in the three years that International Rescue had been in operation, that part of his life had been put on hold. Plus he really had not idea what I was like to have found the one person he wanted to spend his life with and share all of this with. In a way a part of him envied the other Virgil for having that.

"I'd be lying if I said I completely understood. Unfortunately I've never met anyone who means that much to me" he confessed

"I guess in a way you're lucky then"

"Lucky?" He asked her, surprised by her words

"Don't get me wrong, even if someone had told me when I first met Virgil that we'd only have a short time together it wouldn't have changed anything, I can't imagine not being with him. But the pain of losing him, especially now with the baby and everything…"

"Baby!" Virgil gasped in shock "You're pregnant?"

"They never told you?"

Virgil shook is head, not sure he could trust his voice at that moment. "So everyone else knows apart from me about this?" He asked. He wasn't sure why he cared considering it wasn't his baby…but also in a weird way it kind of was... and knowing that he was the last to know about it hurt

"Brains, your father and Scott know" Avery told him "as far as I know, nobody else knows"

"I should leave you to get some sleep, it's getting late" Virgil said after a few awkward, silent moments. He got to his feet and heading back inside. Avery followed behind him

"Thanks for staying with me" she mumbled so quietly that Virgil barely heard her. As he reached the door leading back into the corridor he turned back to her "I'm sorry, I thought that they had told you everything"

"It's not your fault, okay?" He reassured her "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight" and with that Virgil left the room and the door closed behind him.

After leaving Avery, Virgil went in search of his older brother, intend on having it out with him over the decision to keep him in the dark yet again. He was determined that he would speak to his father about it too, but knew that that would have to wait until morning. Upon entering the lounge he found Scott still seated at his fathers desk. He was talking to John up on Five

"So they were able to get everything under control with what resources they had" Virgil heard John saying to Scott as he approached

"That's great" Scott replied.

"Oh hey Virgil" John greeted cheerfully as he caught sight of Virgil over the communication system. However John's cheerful expression disappeared just as quickly when he saw the anger in his brothers face "is everything okay Virgil?" He asked as he saw Scott turn his attention to the rooms newcomer.

"Actually no John it isn't. I'm afraid Scott will have to get back to you" Virgil told John abruptly just giving John enough time to give his usual FAB acknowledgment before Virgil cut off the transmission

"What the hell was that all about Virg" Scott snapped

"Oh I don't know, why don't you tell me" Virgil spat getting as close to Scott as he could with the desk between them.

Scott stared back at him confused so Virgil continued

"Anything you need to tell me?" He asked Scott

"What do you mean?" Scott asked in return although he was unable to look his brother in the eye. Unfortunately for Scott, Virgil knew what that meant – that his brother was lying

"Don't lie to me Scott, you know what I'm talking about" Virgil replied, his voice starting to louder as his anger came through "why didn't you tell me Avery was pregnant?"

Scott looked down at his hands that were resting on the desk in front of him, a blush colouring his cheeks "Oh that" he commented quietly

"Yes that" Virgil remarked "I want to know why you kept it from me?"

"Dad and I discussed it…"

"Oh believe me I intend to have words with dad about this later" Virgil interrupted

Scott continued "At the time it seemed like the best thing to do…we still didn't know who she was and we knew that you were having a hard time with her revelation about being your 'wife'" he stated hurriedly

"So you thought the best thing to do was to lie to me about it?"

"It wasn't a lie Virg, it was an omission. We were just trying to protect you…"

"I'm not a kid anymore Scott" Virgil yelled "I don't need you treating me like one"

"I'm not" Scott said defensively "we were going to tell you once things had calmed down…we never expected you to find out like this"

"You mean you never expected me to find out at all..right. That's why you didn't like the idea of me spending any time with her incase I found out, isn't it?" Virgil spat back as he began to pace back in forth in front of his fathers desk in frustration

"You know what, I can honestly say I never expected this from you Scott. I always thought you had my back" and with that Virgil stormed out of the lounge leaving a distressed Scott sat at the desk watching as he left


	13. Chapter 13

This was originally going to be my chapter 12, but then I had the idea for what was chapter 12 and had to rewrite this chapter so it would follow the previous chapter

Thanks for reading xx

Chapter 13

Scott couldn't sleep.

He had been lying in bed tossing and turn for hours but it was no good. His brain just wouldn't switch off, too many thoughts swirling round and round, keeping him awake. In the end he gave up and dragged his weary body out of bed. He put on his grey coloured dressing gown and headed over to his bedroom door.

Quietly he opened his door and exited his room, making his way down towards the kitchen. He practically tiptoed down the corridor which passed the bedrooms of the rest of the islands occupants, not wanting to disturb them; if any of them were actually sleeping. Scott was sure he wasn't the only one that the days revelations had unnerved. In fact he knew he wasn't. Although Gordon was always trying to make jokes and lighten the mood and Alan always came across as more laid back and maybe even naïve about certain things, Scott could tell this situation was bothering them as much as it was bothering him and their father. Even John had seemed unnerved and nothing ever seemed to rattle him.

Yet they weren't the brothers that Scott was concerned about. His main concern was Virgil. Scott felt he knew this brother better than he knew anyone else in the family, it was this closeness, this bond they shared which made them such an effective team during rescues. It also meant that Scott could tell when something was wrong with Virgil, and right now alarm bells were screaming in his head. Something definitely wasn't right. Of course Virgil could say 'I'm fine' until he was blue in the face but Scott still wasn't convinced even if everyone else was starting to buy into his act. He really did know his brother too well and he knew he wasn't okay.

It wasn't just the way he reacted to Avery's presence that had Scott concerned, it was Virgil's earlier outburst that was really bothering Scott. He had seen Virgil when he was angry and upset, especially when they were growing up, but he hadn't seen him lose his temper like that for a very long time. Virgil was usually the calm one in the family. But since Avery had gotten to the island he hadn't been himself.

Speaking of Virgil, Scott wasn't at all surprised to find him up and about in the kitchen, making himself a cup of hot chocolate. Yet what did surprise Scott was that Virgil was still in the clothes he had been wearing earlier in the day, a pair of cream trousers and a pale green shirt. Unlike Scott, Virgil hadn't even made it to bed.

After spending some time with Avery and then the argument with Scott which had followed it, Virgil had needed some time to think. Usually he would paint or play his piano, but his mind was in too much of a whirl for him to do either of those things. He felt to restless. So he made his way down to Thunderbird Two's hanger with the intention of doing a little bit of maintenance on his craft. Instead he just sat on one of the chairs in Two's cockpit thinking over everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. Yet he still hadn't felt like he had made any progress in figuring things out. The thing was he hadn't expected to have had such a reaction to Avery's presence on the island, and he didn't mean it in the negative, suspicious way that Scott had reacted when she first woke up. No, there was something about her that intrigued and fascinated him and after spending a little bit of time with her, this feeling had only intensified. That was what he was having the most difficultly dealing with.

But to then find out that she was pregnant with what was sort-of his baby, he was finding that hard enough to get his head around. But what he had found harder to deal with was that his Father and brother knew about it and had kept it from him. Virgil knew that he had over reacted by blowing up at Scott about it like he did, but he had been so angry. Now after taking some time to try to cool down and think about it he could understand why they did it. However that didn't mean he had to like it. Truth was he wasn't even sure if he was ready to forgive them for it yet.

Scott stood in the doorway staring at Virgil's back as his brother stood by the stove. He just watched as Virgil poured the hot chocolate from the pan into a mug.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier Virg.." Scott began breaking the silence and letting Virgil know he was there

"Sorry that you kept it from me, or sorry that you got caught" Virgil said bitterly as he turned to face his brother.

"Oh come on Virgil it wasn't like that. We were going to tell you, we just didn't think that it was the right time…"

"And when was that going to be huh?" Virgil asked sarcastically "when her waters broke?...when she'd actually had the baby?"

"She might not even be here by then" Scott commented quietly, not meaning for it to sound as heartless as it did and Scott could tell by Virgil's reaction that his remark wasn't well received. "Come on Virg, you know what I mean"

"Do I Scott?" Virgil took in a deep breath which almost sounded like a sigh "I thought I knew you, clearly I'm wrong about that…"

"Oh come on Virg, it wasn't meant like that, none of this was. We we're trying to protect you" Scott protested, trying his best to defend both himself and their father for their earlier actions. He hated that he had made Virgil feel this way, but he also knew that he would do it again if he had to.

"I don't need to protect me Scott. I'm not a child anymore, I'm more than capable of handling things without you all interfering" with that Virgil made his way towards the door "I'm going to bed" he told Scott, his tone still oozing with disgust "If that's ok with you" he added as he left the room, his mug of chocolate in his hand. A shocked Scott was then left standing in the middle of the kitchen floor

"Nite Virg". Scott murmured as he watched his angry and clearly worn out brother leave the kitchen before heading over to the stove to make his own mug of hot chocolate. He had just finished pouring it from the pan into a mug when he heard the sound of footsteps entering the room. Scott turned to find his father entering the kitchen

"You up too Scott…I've just seen Virgil heading up to his room, he looks exhausted…"

"I know father I was just speaking with him, or trying to…" Scott said his voice trailing off. Jeff in the mean time had walked over to the cupboard and retrieved himself a mug and a box of teabags. Scott watched him as he removed a teabag from the box and placed it in his mug. He then went over to the kettle and switched it on. As he was waiting for the water to boil he returned his attention to his son, concerned by his sudden silence. That was also when he noticed a small smile on Scott's face, but behind it lay something else "It's a special blend of camomile tea" he told his son, his tone a little sheepish "Kyrano made it for me when I was ill, it helped me sleep so I thought I'd give it a go now as I'm struggling to switch off"

"I know that feeling" Scott muttered "Even having some sort of explanation as to what is going on still doesn't really make this feel any better…and Virgil.."

"I know you're brother is still trying to get his head around what is going on here" Jeff said "Has he said anything to you about it, he won't really open up to me about" Scott looked down at the floor and shook his head. "What's going on son?" Jeff asked concerned by Scott demeanour

So as Jeff waited for the kettle to boil Scott told him everything that had happened between himself and Virgil, including what had been said to him moments earlier. Jeff nodded as he then turned to the now boiled kettle and poured some water into his mug. He then picked up his mug and made his way over to where Scott was standing next to the sink

"I suppose I can understand where he's coming from son" Jeff told Scott, to which Scott just nodded in agreement "But that doesn't mean I regret making the decision not to tell him"

"I just don't like it when he's upset like this" Scott commented, his tone sounding flat and defeated "it's not the way things are supposed to be, her being here is causing all of this…but at the same time…" once again Scott went quiet

"I know that you mean son, but as difficult as things are for us to get our heads around, it can't be any easier for her either" Jeff said "I'm ashamed to admit it, but when Avery told us that in her reality they had lost Virgil…I felt…"

"...Relieved that it hadn't happened to us?" Scott finished for him. Jeff just nodded, looking clearly ashamed that he had felt that way

"I felt the same way" he admitted "I know it's a horrible thing to think…but I couldn't imagine what it would be like to go through…that…" Scott's voice trailed off once again as he felt his composure beginning to break. The thought of losing any of his brothers was bad enough, but to lose Virgil? Scott was sure that losing a limb would be easier to bear than that. Just trying to imagine how it would affect him was hard enough. That was also why this whole disagreement between them was bothering him so much.

"That's why I couldn't sleep" Jeff admitted "I just can't bear to think about losing any of you boys. I can't even begin to imagine how her family must be struggling to deal with it, how her Jeff is dealing with…"his voice trailed off and Scott could see the pain in his fathers eyes, it was a look that Scott had not seen there for a long time. Jeff coughed to clear his throat before he continued "…and now for them to believe they have lost her too"

Both men stood there in silence for several minutes before Jeff spoke again

"You should go and get some rest son, we never know when that next call will be coming in. The last thing we need is any incidents because you're exhausted. I'll speak to Virgil in the morning and explain everything. Things will be fine between the two of you again, you'll see. You're both too alike for you not to sort this"

"You're right. Nite dad" Scott said as he left the kitchen and headed back to bed

"Nite son" Jeff replied as he watched Scott walk out the door. " I love you" he added, but Scott was already gone.


	14. Chapter 14

Sorry about the delay in posting an update. Haven't been well, yet again, so was struggling with writing up chapter 15. Although it wasn't until I went to post 15that I then realised I hadn't even posted 14 so it's going to be a double chapter update. Hope you enjoy it. Jo x

Chapter 14

The following morning Virgil dragged his weary body out of bed and headed to his shower. As the hot water ran over him he closed his eyes and felt some of the tension leave him. Although he had been exhausted, he had barely slept, no more than a few hours at the most. Every time he closed his eyes all he saw was Avery's face.

But Avery wasn't the only reason why sleep had eluded him. The main reason was his argument with Scott. He had been so angry with Scott and his father when Avery had told him that they knew about her pregnancy, so he had gone to Scott expecting some sort of apology. Instead his brother had as good as treated him like a child and it had just made the whole situation worse. But he knew deep down that they only did it because they cared about him and he couldn't hold a grudge with them about it forever. He knew he couldn't even if right now he felt like he wanted to. Virgil turned off the shower and stepped out, grabbing his towel to dry himself off as he mad his way back into his bedroom. He was just about to put on some clothes when there was a knock at the door

"Come in"he said with a sigh. The door opened to reveal his father, who was looking surprisingly like his usual self.

"Morning son" Jeff said as he slowly entered Virgil's bedroom "I think we need to talk" as the door closed behind him , Jeff made his way over to the chair which was next to Virgil's bed.

"I agree" Virgil responded and was about to sit down on his bed when he suddenly realised that all he was wearing was a towel, which was wrapped around his waist. "Just give me a moment" he said sheepishly as he grabbed the clothes he had just placed on his bed and headed back into his bathroom. A few moments later he re-emerged wearing a pair of dark grey trousers and a thin, sky blue jumper; his feet were still bare and his hair was still damp from his shower.

"Actually I'm glad you're here, I wanted to talk to you too" Virgil told his father as he came back into the room. He headed back over to his bed but didn't sit down, he was feeling too restless. He needed to say what he wanted to say and he knew that once he had sat down and looked his father in the eye he would have lost his nerve.

"I want to know why you and Scott feel like you need to treat me like a child and keep things from me…important things" he said I a rush, wanting to get the words out before his father could interrupt

"Scott told me what happened" Jeff informed him. "But I want you to know that the decision not to tell you, was mine. Any decision that has been made with regards to Avery has been my call. Got that" Virgil nodded in understanding as he finally sat down on the edge of his bed

"Okay Father. I guess I do owe Scott an apology" he confessed

"This situation isn't easy for any of us" Jeff continued "but I hate to see what it is doing to your relationship with your brother…the two of you have always been close"

"I know Father" Virgil agreed

"But I also know that if the two of you do have a disagreement, that you never fall out for long. You're both too alike for that to happen"

"Yes Father" Virgil got back on his feet "I should go and find Scott and talk to him"

"Very well" Jeff also got to his feet and followed behind his son as he made his way out of the room into the main living area of the villa. As Jeff made his way over to his desk he told Virgil "Scott said he was going out for a run" then he added looking at his watch "You'll probably find him round by the pool area by now"

Virgil followed his father's advice and made his way out towards the pool. When he got there, he found his two younger brothers messing around in the water, with Scott sat on one of the loungers watching them. It was clear from Scott's clothing and the beads of sweat trickling down his face that he had indeed been out for his usual morning run around the island

"Hi Virgil" Gordon called out to him from the pool, before he was dragged under the water by their youngest brother. At the mention of Virgil's name, Scott turned around and the two briefly made eye contact

"Morning Virgil" Scott said quietly as he turned his gaze away from Virgil back towards the pool. It was clear to Virgil that Scott was feeling uncomfortable

"Hey Scott. Can we talk?"

"Sure" Scott replied getting to his feet. "See you later fellas" he called out to Alan and Gordon as both him and Virgil made their way down towards the beach. After several moments of awkward silence between the two Scott decided he needed to break the tension

"Look Virgil…"

"No wait Scott, there's something I need to say" Virgil interrupted "I'm sorry for how I reacted. I was angry and upset and I took it out on you and I shouldn't have"

"I'm the one who should be apologising Virg. You have nothing to apologise for."

"Father told me what happened. He took full responsibility…"

"...But I still should have told you" Scott said cutting Virgil off. They walked a little further before they came to a stop and for a brief moment they just stood there enjoying the view. But more than that, they were both enjoying being in each other's company once again

"I know that her being here has been difficult for you" Scott said breaking the silence after a while "but you know that you can always talk to me about it if you need to"

"I know Scott. It's not that I don't want to" Virgil paused, unsure what to say

"But?" Scott prompted

"But I don't know if I can"

Scott looked over at his brother, a look of confusion, mixed with what Virgil took for hurt crossed his features "What I mean is, I'm not sure what to say" he clarified "I'm still trying to figure out how I'm feeling about all of this. Although Brains' theory about the alternate reality, parallel universe..or whatever you want to call it makes sense… I still don't know.." he shrugged

"It still doesn't make you feel any better about it " Scott finished for him.

"I should be glad that I'm not losing it, you know that it's not that I should know who she is…if you know what I mean?..." Scott didn't reply, he just nodded, allowing Virgil to continue "and in a way it does make me feel better but in another way, it makes me feel worse, and now with the whole baby thing" he trailed off not sure how to finish his thoughts

"Look Virg at the end of the day there's no right or wrong way to feel about this. How you feel is how you feel. You can't change that, all you can do is find a way for you to deal with it; and you know I'm here if you want to talk"

"Thanks Scott"

"And I promise that I won't keep anything else from you. I don't want us falling out like that again" Scott told him. Yet the silence that followed said more to Virgil about how much the argument had affected his brother more than his words had.

"Neither do I " Virgil agreed smiling back at his brother, grateful that things were back to normal again "it was probably…"

At that moment Virgil's words were cut off when the fathers voice came through the communications in their watches

"Boys, we've just received a call from John. We have an emergency"

"FAB father, we're on our way" Scott replied as he looked over a Virgil before the two of them headed back to the villa to find out what was going on.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Mobile control to Thunderbird 2, what is your eta to danger zone?" Scott's voice came through the communication system of Thunderbird twos cockpit

"Thunderbird 2 to mobile control" Virgil responded "we'll be with you in just under 10 minutes Scott. What's the situation like down there?" He asked his older brother

"The fire has caused part of the building to collapse. The latest intel is that there are at least seven people trapped in the basement"

"At least seven?" Gordon asked, somewhat confused

"Unfortunately the authorities here aren't entirely sure on how many people were working down there to begin with, this isn't exactly a legal establishment" Scott clarified.

When John had called down from Thunderbird Five with the news of a building collapse on the eastern coast of Mexico, the only information he had for his brothers was that a fire which had originated in the basement area of the building had weakened the structure, resulting in the buildings collapse. What was later found out what that the basement of the building was being used to make illegal drugs. Something to which the authorities did not like to admit still occurred. That was why the exact numbers were unknown. But it was also the reason why Scott had argued against International Rescues involvement in the first place. It was only due to the fact that the building was in an overly built up and populated area that they were on their way to help out. There was still a risk of the fire spreading throughout the surrounding area, although the local authorities had it under control for the time being. Yet as a family they had decided that they would help out with the fire regardless of the cause because they didn't want any innocent people in the area suffering needlessly, especially if they could prevent it.

"So what's the plan of action?" Virgil asked, making the most of the time they had before arriving at the danger zone to work out what they would be doing when they got there.

"Gordon, if you take the Firefly and clear a path so that we can get the Mole nearer to the building, then Virg, I need you to dig down towards the basement and see if you can get those people out of there. Take Gordon with you"

Virgil and Gordon briefly glanced at each other before they replied in unison "FAB"

"Okay Gordon" Virgil said turning his attention to his red headed brother "head on down to the pod and make sure that everything is ready so we can get started as soon as we land" just as Virgil finished what he was saying he let out a loud sneeze, followed by a couple more, slightly quieter ones

"You okay Virg? You're not coming down with something are you?" Gordon asked as he got up from his seat. This was not the first sneezing fit that Virgil had had since they had left the island

"I'm Fine" Virgil reassured him "I was down in Two's hanger most of the night last night, must be the dust irritating me or something".

Satisfied with his brothers answer, Gordon made his way down to the pod to make sure they would be ready to start their rescue as soon as they arrived. What Gordon didn't see was the look of relief on Virgil's face.

Several minutes later, Virgil landed Thunderbird 2 next to where Scott had landed Thunderbird 1 and set up mobile control. Once she had landed and her engines had been turned off, Two lifted up onto her hydraulic legs so that the entrance ramp to pod 3 could be opened up. Moments later Gordon drove the Firefly down the ramp, closely followed by Virgil in the Mole; both men wearing their protective fire gear.

"Mobile control to Firefly" Scott's voice came through over their earpieces

"Go ahead Mobile control" Gordon responded, his voice echoing round the inside of his helmet as he spoke.

"Gordon, I need you to clear a path for Virgil to get the Mole through."

"FAB" Gordon replied as he pushed the firefly forward, steering her towards the debris that Scott had asked him to clear. After several moments Virgil's voice came through Gordon's radio

"Mole to Firefly. How's it going Gordo" he asked, trying his best to hide the anxiety he was feeling

"Almost done Virg" Gordon told him. "Boy it's hot out here"

"I hear ya" Virgil agreed as he began to move the Mole in to position. After a couple more minutes Gordon informed his brother that he was finished and asked him to open the door so he was able to join him. After being outside, even if it was only briefly, it felt nice to be inside the Mole where it was cooler.

"I'm onboard and ready to go Virg" Gordon told Virgil

"FAB" Virgil replied as he started to move the Mole forward. The huge drill on the front gradually picking up speed

"Mole to Mobile control, commencing drilling now"

"FAB Virg. Keep me informed of your progress"

"Will do Scott" Virgil told him as he ended the transmission

As the Mole dug deeper, Virgil could have sworn that the temperature inside the Mole was increasing. After a few minor course corrections, Virgil finally broke through into a deserted section of the basement. The ceiling wasn't looking particularly stable but Virgil was confident that it would hold long enough for him and Gordon to get those trapped, out.

"Ready?" Gordon said as he came up behind his brother, making Virgil jump slightly. He hadn't heard Gordon enter the Mole's control room. Truth was he was struggling to maintain his concentration, but he sure as hell wasn't going to tell his brothers that – especially Scott. Virgil put his lack of focus down to the amount- or lack of – sleep he'd been able to get since Avery had 'crashed' into his life.

"Virg are you okay?" Gordon asked his older brother, his concern clearly visible through the visor of his protective hood. Virgil's delayed response causing him some concern

"What…sorry Gordon. Come on let's go and get those people out of there".

"Hello, is anyone there?" Gordon called out as he led the way, carefully through the corridors which led to the area of the basement where people were known to have been located before the building collapsed. Although they had yet to find anyone, Gordon was feeling confident that they would find someone alive down there. Considering how bad the damage was on the surface, the fact that the basement was still pretty much intact was a miracle. He was also grateful that there weren't any fires down there too as the smoke and heat would have made this a much more difficult and dangerous task. As it was there biggest concern at the moment was finding everyone before the building came down on them. Since neither of them had any idea what it was they were walking into, they had come prepared with a laser cutter, a first aid kit and a torch each. Virgil had also insisted on them both being armed just incase any of the occupants of the basement where going to cause them any trouble. Especially since reports of what had been going on down there had been sketchy.

"Anything yet?" Virgil asked, his voice coming through the radio link between both of there protective hoods. It sounded to Gordon like he was panting as he spoke

"Not yet?" he replied, turning around to look at his brother. That was when he saw it, the dark circles under Virgil's eyes and the sweat pouring down his face. Gordon knew that it could get hot inside their protective gear, but he had never seen Virgil look that bad before. Plus as far as he was concerned the temperature down there wasn't that bad. "Virgil what's wrong?" He asked, the concerned look back on his face

"Nothing, I told you"

"Try again?" Gordon said, clearly of convinced "You've been kind of out of it since we got here…plus your sweating buckets and I know it's not easy to tell in these things…but I can see you're shaking. What's going on?"

"I guess I'm just tired that's all, I haven't slept" Virgil reluctantly confessed. "But I'm fine. Let's just get the rescue completed so we can get out of here. Okay?" But Gordon knew it wasn't okay, not when he could hear Virgil practically slurring his words.

"FAB. But let me just radio Scott and let him know…"

"You're not telling Scott about this are you?" Virgil demanded, cutting Gordon off mid-sentence, but before Gordon had any chance to reply Virgil continued "you know what he's like, he'll want to drag me out of here and…."

"Virgil stop!" Gordon yelled, grabbing hold of both of Virgil's arms with his hands to stop them from waving about "I'm not going to tell Scott…but you need to calm down ok; you're scaring me" Gordon knew from past experiences that Virgil wasn't as alright as he had claimed to be. It was very rare for him to act this way, the only time he was ever like this was when… "Virgil you've got a fever, haven't you?" he demanded. He was hoping that he was wrong about this, but he also knew it was the only time that Virgil acted completely out of character and he definitely was the way he was rambling and seeming agitated.

"Maybe a little" Virgil confessed "But…" he whispered looking around them both, his actions causing Gordon to look around too, copying him "...sshh…it's our secret"

"Virgil, are you going to be able to carry on with me or would you prefer to make your way back to the Mole?" The truth was that was much as Gordon knew he was going to need his brothers help completing this rescue, he didn't want the added complication of having to look out for him too.

"I'll be fine" Virgil told him nonchalantly "I am fine" he insisted when a look of doubt crossed the younger man's face

"Okay then"

Together they pushed on, only this time Gordon kept finding himself looking back at his brother to make sure that he was still with him. A few metres further down the corridor and Gordon came to a sudden stop, causing Virgil to walk into the back of him

"Hey watch it"

"Sshh" Gordon whispered "Did you hear that?"

Both brothers stood there in silence for several seconds, listening. Then they heard it, the sound of tapping coming from up ahead

"What that banging?" Virgil asked, not convinced that it was anything significant

"Yeah" Gordon replied "listen to it, it sounds like…yes that definitely sounds like morse code"

"Really?"

"You mean you don't hear that?" Gordon asked, surprised. The confused look on his older brothers features answering Gordon's question. It was clearly another sign of how 'not with it' Virgil was, as under normal circumstances Gordon was sure that Virgil would have recognised it before he did.

"Come on"

A few feet in front of them they came to what looked like a door which had been blocked by some falling debris. "Hello can anyone hear me?" Gordon yelled towards the door

"Yes" a voice called back "are you going to get us out of here" it added

"That's the plan. How many of you are in there and are there any injuries?" Gordon asked loudly

After a few silence moments he had his reply "There are Seven of us trapped in here" the voice answered

"Anyone injured?" Gordon shouted again

"Yeah, but nothing serious. Just a few cuts and bruises"

"Okay, that's something at least" Gordon said as he looked over at Virgil to see how he was doing. Despite the earlier incident, it seemed like he was holding his own. Virgil noticed his brother looking over at him and gave him a brief nod, acknowledging that he was okay to do this.

"Ok. We're going to cut through and get you all out" he shouted back at the door."so make sure you're all clear of the door"

"Right Virg, lets get those people out of there"

After surveying the debris that was blocking the doorway, Gordon was feeling very relieved that they had decided to bring along the Oxyhydnite cylinder with them incase they needed to cut through anything. The beam which had fallen and was blocking the door would definitely need to be cut through and this cutting equipment would be perfect for the job.

The Oxyhynite was something which Brains had developed a couple of years previously and as great as it had been during the training with the equipment, it had also resulted in the collapse of both Scott and Virgil. It was then decided that they would take the risk and use equipment again during the rescue at the Thompson Tower, yet this time it didn't have the same effect. It turned out that the heat had counteracted the effects of the Oxyhynite so they were able to use it and rescue the family who were trapped in the Tower. It had also meant that Brains had been able to make some adjustments to the equipment, making it safe to use and it had become a vital piece of cutting equipment ever since.

"Okay, I'm nearly through" Virgil heard his brother say "once I'm through we should be able to move this out of the way and get to the door" he added.

"Mobile control to Mole. How's it going down there fellas?" Scott asked

"We've located the seven survivors…I'm just cutting through to them now." Gordon replied

"FAB Gordon" Scott responded, surprise clear in his tone

' _must have been expecting Virgil?'_ Gordon surmised

"Gordon?" Virgil murmured, his voice shaking as he spoke. Gordon stopped what he was doing and turned to face his brother, concerned by how weak Virgil's sounded. As he looked at Virgil he noticed how pale he had become

"Virg?" Gordon said, trying his best to the panic out of his voice

"Gordon…l…" Virgil managed as he stumbled forward, Gordon rushed over to him and caught him in his arms

"Virg!" Gently Gordon lowered Virgil to the ground "Virgil…are you okay…Virg?"

"Gordo…" Virgil murmured again as he looked up at his brother, his vision blurring.

Then the darkness overcame him.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Sorry for the delay with this one, I kind of lost my writing mojo for a bit but it seems to be back So I'm hoping the next chapter will follow a little quicker. Enjoy

As always thanks everyone for your reviews of my last chapters xxx

The first thing Virgil was aware of was that he was lying on something soft. The next thing was the voices. At first he struggled to make out who was speaking due to their hushed tones, but after a few moments he recognised the voices as belonging to Brains and Avery. He tried to open his eyes but the light was too bright it was painful, causing him to shut them again.

Virgil let out a low groan, causing Brains and Avery to stop their conversation and look over at him

"He's waking up" Avery observed as she quietly made her way over to him

"I'll l..let Mr T..Tracy know" Brains informed her as he headed towards the door and left the room.

"Virgil" Avery said, her voice barely more than a whisper "can you open your eyes for me?" She asked him. Slowly he nodded his head, then tried to open his eyes. But just as quickly he closed them once again.

"Mmmm" he groaned again as he took another attempt at opening his eyes, this time managing it although it was obvious that it was a difficult task

"Welcome back. How are you feeling?"Avery asked in a hushed tone as she smiled down at him

"Like I had one of Thunderbird 2's pods dropped on me" he croaked. "What happened?"he asked as he carefully took in his surroundings.

"You developed a high fever…you collapsed. You've been unconscious for nearly 48 hours…"she told him.

"48 hours…Collapsed?" He rambled, shocked by her words. "The rescue…" he gasped trying to sit up prompting Avery to gently push him back down on to the bed

"Everything turned out ok" Jeff answered as he entered the sick room and approached his son "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay" he told his father

"Come on Virgil we all know you would say that even if your arm was falling off. How are you feeling really?" Jeff asked again, this time his voice was sterner

"Tired" Virgil reluctantly admitted "hungry and thirsty " he added, although he needn't have bothered as his stomach did a good enough job of letting everyone know that itself.

"Right, well I'll go and ask Kyrano to whip you something up and in the meantime you get some rest. Once you're feeling a little better, you and I need to have a talk"

"Yes Father" Virgil replied as Jeff turned to exit the room, on his way out he turned and said something to Avery, but his voice was so low that Virgil couldn't make out what it was he had said

After Jeff had gone, Virgil turned his attention back to Avery. He noticed that she was holding a glass of water in her hand "small sips" she told him as he slowly sat up and reached out a shaky hand to take the glass from her, doing as she instructed by taking a couple of small sips. He nodded to her in gratitude as he handed the glass back

"Is Gordon okay?" He asked, concerned

"He's fine, but he has been pestering me for the last couple of days asking how you are. He was sat at your side for quite a while, until your father ordered him to go and get some rest"

"I guess I owe him an apology"

"Well you're in luck then, your father just told me that he'll send him right down" she informed him with a small smile as she moved over to the other side of the room.

Virgil lay back in the bed, mentally trying to prepare himself for his apology to Gordon. Not that he was worried. Gordon was the most laid back of his brothers and the fact that he had been pestering Avery for news on his condition was proof that he was worried rather than angry. Virgil's bigger problem wasn't how Gordon or even his father was going to react to what had happened during the rescue.

No, the one who he was not looking forward to facing was Scott.

Almost as if thinking about him had resulted in his appearance, Gordon stepped into the room, his hands full. He noticed Virgil sat propped up in his bed looking over at him and a beaming smile crossed his face. Virgil couldn't help but return the smile, although his was a little more sheepish than his younger brothers.

Gordon walked over to the bed that Virgil was occupying the smile still in place "I hope that smile is for me rather than this tray I'm carrying" he joked as he placed the tray on the table next to Virgil's bed "Dad said you were hungry" It turned out that Jeff had let Gordon know that Virgil had woken up and had asked him to bring his brother a tray containing some homemade soup. Gordon passed the bowl of soup and a spoon to his brother who accepted it gratefully

"So what happened at the rescue?" Virgil asked as he scooped up a spoonful of soup, blowing on it to cool it before slurping it down. Gordon sat down in the seat that was still positioned next to the bed, the same one he had been using on his previous visits to see Virgil when he was still unconscious.

"Nothing I couldn't handle" Gordon shrugged modestly. Virgil glanced over at his brother, his eyebrows raised "Okay, okay" Gordon chuckled in mock defeat "you got me. It wasn't as easy as that" Gordon saw the guilt creep up onto his brothers face "But it really wasn't that bad either Virg, honest. It only took me a couple more minutes after you'd passed out to finish cutting through to the guys who were trapped down there. Since there were no major injuries, they basically helped me get you back to the Mole and I just drove us back out the way we came in"

"You shouldn't have had to do that" Virgil mumbled clearly uneasy about what had happened at the rescue site

" I said it was fine. We all made it back in one piece"

"But what if something had gone wrong…what if…"

"Stop it, relax will you" Gordon told his older brother "nothing went wrong so you can stop beating yourself up about it. To be honest I was more concerned about you than anything else. Plus Scott was there when we resurface so..."

"I'm so sorry Gordo" Virgil told him. Again Gordon just shrugged it off

"It's okay Virg really. I'm just glad you were sick with what Avery thinks is the flu and that it wasn't anything more serious". With that Gordon got up from the chair and stretched himself, a small grimace appeared across his features, yet just as quickly it was gone

"You okay?" Virgil asked concerned, noticing his brief pained expression

"I'm just a little stiff that's all" Gordon noticed that Virgil as about to say something and knowing his brother and what he was going to say, Gordon stopped him "and before you say anything it's not your fault, okay." Virgil gave a small head nod. "Besides it's nothing that a few laps in the pool, some pain meds and a good nights sleep won't fix. Speaking of sleep…you need to rest, so finish eating up and get some sleep yourself. Okay?"

Virgil had another spoonful of the soup as a way of acknowledging to Gordon that he was going to do as he was told. Although to be honest he seriously doubted he had the energy to do anything else

"Okay. Nite Gordon. I really am sorry about what happened you know" he said as he watched his brother make his way towards the sick room door. Just as he reached it though he turned back to face Virgil once again, the beaming smile back on his face

"Oh I know you are Virg, but next time when you're sick you need to be honest with me."

"I will I promise "

"I'll hold you to that" Gordon told him as he left the room. The last words though that Virgil could just make out as Gordon left the room was "otherwise next time you'll be dealing with Scott"

When Virgil awoke again, it was dark and this time he was alone. He switched on the lamp which was located next to his bed and glanced at the clock, it read 2.34 Judging by the moonlight he could see through the half drawn blinds on the window of the sick room, It was clear to Virgil that it was early morning. Although his body felt tired and weak, despite sleeping for more than fourteen hours, his mind was very active.

Jeff had been in to speak to him a little while after Virgil had spoken with Gordon and managed to eat some soup which Kyrano had made for him. Despite his father not being happy about the fact that Virgil had decided to keep his condition a secret from the rest of them, his conversation with Jeff hadn't been as bad as he had first expected. Virgil had wondered if it was due to his father not being well recently, or if it was because he was leaving the lecture to be given by Scott instead. He chuckled to himself at that thought and then discarded it.

No, his father knew that taking Virgil off rescues for the time being while he recuperated was 'punishment' enough.

Giving up on trying to get back to sleep, Virgil dragged his exhausted body out of bed and made his way towards the kitchen. Ever since he was a child, he had found that a mug of warm milk helped him sleep. It was something his mother used to do for him when she was alive. He remembered that she would make him his warm milk, and then play him something soothing on the piano. Since she died it was something he continued himself, it made him feel closer to his mother somehow.

Upon leaving the kitchen with his milk, Virgil made his way over to beloved piano and took a seat. He carefully placed the mug on the top and opened the lid. Placing his hands on the keys, Virgil closed his eyes and began to play.

' _When I see you look at me_

 _And how your smile reaches your eyes_

 _I see the future that will be_

 _I can barely remember what came before,_

 _Before you took over my heart_

 _You're my world, my heart, my soul_

 _You are my life'…._

As Virgil opened his eyes and looked over to where the singing had come from he saw Avery standing a few feet away from the piano. Tear tracks down her cheeks and her eyes filled with tears.

"That was beautiful" he told her

"Thank you" she sniffed, blushing as she wiped her face with her right hand. "Unfortunately I can't take credit for it…" her voice shook slightly as she spoke, the emotion she was feeling clear

Virgil didn't know what to say. It was obvious to him that he had once again upset her without intending to

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you" he said. Avery just shook her head

"I'm the one who should be apologising for disturbing you…I was just on my way to get myself something to drink when I heard you playing…" she stopped to take in a deep, shuddering breath as she tried to get her emotions under control

"Come on" Virgil told her as he indicated for her to follow him towards the kitchen. Virgil straight away sorting out making Avery some tea. After several minutes they were both seated at the table, an almost uncomfortable silence lingering in the air.

"What did you mean when you said you couldn't take credit for the song?" Virgil asked finally. Not only to break the silence but also because he was curious as to what she had meant.

Avery looked up from the mug in her hands and looked at him, yet instead of answering his question she asked him one instead

"You wrote that piece didn't you?"

The surprised look on his face answering the question before his gentle nod

"I know because my Virgil wrote the same piece for me for our first wedding anniversary" she continued, the tears returning to her eyes.

"Including those beautiful lyrics?" He asked

Avery nodded "He told me that I was his muse" she admitted, a blush colouring her cheeks once again

"Ah I see. Unfortunately I was not lucky enough to have a muse like he did. That's why my piece has no lyrics" he confessed "I felt like it deserved them, but I just couldn't do them justice"

"We had a small family dinner to celebrate our anniversary. Afterwards we all gathered in the lounge by the piano and he performed it for me. It was the most perfect gift…." Her voice trailed off. It had been a while since she had remembered that particular moment in her brief marriage to Virgil and remembering it was bittersweet.

"I'm sorry, I've upset you again haven't I…I feel like every time I'm around you I upset you.."

"But being around you makes me feel happy too" she informed him "even if it doesn't seem like it" she paused as if she was searching for the right words "I know that you're not my Virgil, and that being here with you isn't going to change what happened. But it's a small comfort to know that because of you he isn't completely gone". She brought her cup to her lips and took a small mouthful before placing the cup back on the table. Virgil did the same

"I was wondering if I could ask you something?" Virgil said after a few moments of silence

"Of course"

"I was wanting to know…I mean would it be possible for you to…" Virgil stumbled awkwardly over his words

"You want to know how he died?"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Thanks for all the lovely reviews, I really appreciate them

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have..." Virgil began when he saw the pained expression that crossed Avery's face. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

"It's okay. I will tell you but first I want you to go back to bed-you should be resting. You can go back to your own room rather than the sick room, if you'd prefer"

Reluctantly Virgil agreed but he preferred to be resting in his own bed, so they made their way towards his bedroom, Avery following at a small distance behind him. Once they reached the door to his room, Virgil noticed that Avery had stopped further down the corridor. He turned back to look at her and saw the pain had returned to her eyes once again. She looked up at him and nodded for him to proceed, so he opened his door and went inside. Virgil made his way over to his bed, his body felt drained from his short time up and about, but he really wanted Avery to stay so he did his best to fight through the fatigue he was feeling. He has his back to Avery as she too entered the room, but he turned to face her when he heard a sharp gasp escape her lips

"It reminds me of..."she began as she saw the concerned look that Virgil was giving her "it just looks a lot like our room back home...only without the feminine touches" she added as she continued to look around the room. Although she had been on the island for nearly a week now, she was still having difficulty getting her head around how different and yet familiar everything felt. Especially Virgil's presence

"Sorry. I should have realised..."

"It's okay you don't need to keep apologising all the time Virgil" she told him as she indicated for him to get into bed. Once he was in and Avery had adjusted the pillows behind him so he could sit up, she took a seat in the chair which was situated to the left side of Virgil's bed

"We were on a rescue" she began, deciding that the best thing was to just get on with it. Her gaze looking right past Virgil and he noticed a small smile spread across her face as she saw the painting of Thunderbird Two which was hanging on the wall to the right of the bed.

"A small fishing boat had radioed in for help – it was taking on water, so Thunderbirds 2 and 4 were needed. We had also been told that there was a young casualty on board, so as the team medic I went along too". She paused for a moment, taking in a deep, shaky breath. It was clear to Virgil that talking about what had happened was very difficult for her and he was starting to feel bad for wanting to know what had happened. As he watched her, Virgil noticed that her hand went up to her throat; as she clasped her hand around something that was hanging around her neck. He had also noticed her doing the same thing back in the lounge the day that Brains had revealed his theory about Avery being from another reality.

"But it wasn't until we got there that we realised just how serious the situation was. Once Gordon and I reached the boat via Thunderbird 4, it then became clear why the boat was taking on water. We also found out how the casualty was injured"

"How?" asked Virgil curiously

"Weapons fire" Avery informed him "We didn't find out until we got a call from Lady Penelope a few days later that the man we had rescued was responsible for designing and building weapons. But he had defected and was making a run for it with his wife and 15 year old daughter. They chased them to the docks and shot up the boat when they cast off; leaving them to sink and drown"

"And that was how the casualty was shot?" Virgil asked.

Avery nodded "His daughter Madison. They contacted us for help; we just didn't know what we were heading into at the time"

"So what happened?"

Avery cleared her throat and took another deep breath before she continued

"Gordon and I went to the boat. I examined the girl and that was when I noticed that her injury was a gunshot wound. Anyway, I was working on getting Madison ready to be moved over to Thunderbird 4 when we received a panicked call from Virgil..."

Avery stopped. It was clear to Virgil that she was reliving the moment in her head. She closed her eyes tightly as if she was trying to block out the images. When she opened them again, Virgil could see the tears glistening in them, threatening to fall

"It's okay, you don't have to continue if it's too difficult" Virgil told her. Inwardly he was cursing himself for his curiosity to find out what had happened to the alternate version of himself

"It's okay" she assured him, the conviction in her voice in sharp contrast to the tears that were now cascading down her cheeks "I need to deal with this I guess...besides I can't hide from it forever and as strange as this may sound, you're the one person I feel I _can_ talk to about it" she told him as she wiped a hand over her face "I feel comfortable being with you...I guess it's due to the fact that you're just like my Virgil"

Virgil nodded his understanding. He knew exactly what she meant, he felt strangely comfortable around her too. Virgil was also sure he could see what it was that he drawn the other Virgil to her in the first place; and for a split second he envied the other man.

"Virgil contacted us" Avery continued, breaking Virgil from his thoughts. "To let us know that there was a missile heading our way"

Virgil shuddered, remembering the time that Thunderbird Two had been mistakenly perceived as a threat by the USS Sentinel and he had been attacked by their missiles. The attack thankfully had been stopped by Jeff getting in touch with Washington to let them know that his craft wasn't a threat; but Thunderbird 2 had still received enough damage that she had crash landed back on the island. Resulting in week's worth of repairs to his bird, and he himself had suffered a concussion

"I told him to get Two out of there, but he said that he wasn't the target...we were"

Avery got up from her chair and made her way over to the window, looking out of it. Virgil could clearly see the pained expression on her face and the tension that was so evident in the way that she was holding herself. She had her arms wrapped around her middle as if she was trying to comfort herself. As he watched her, Virgil wished that he could do something to take away her pain

"The problem was that there was no way we would have been able to have gotten everyone on board Thunderbird 4 and then get Four away in time before the missile hit...so...so"

"So Virgil used Thunderbird 2 as a shield, didn't he?" Virgil asked, knowing where she was going with her story. Avery just nodded, as it was all she could manage. He could see from what light there was coming in through the window was that tears were once again falling down her face

"He positioned Thunderbird 2 over the boat, protecting us. He knew that if the missile had hit the boat, there was no way we would have survived" she managed, her voice barely more than a whisper as she continued

"So he saved you, Gordon and the family on the boat" Virgil commented. Truth was he knew that if it was him he would have done the same thing to protect his brother or any member of his family for that matter. Avery's Virgil was not only protecting his brother, but his wife as well. Plus they risked their lives to help others every time they went out on a rescue.

"And our baby" she added, her voice still quiet

"So he knew you were pregnant?"

"Yes, we found out a couple of days before. In fact he didn't want me to go on the mission because of it; but I told him that it was fine. It was supposed to be a simple rescue as far as we were concerned. Plus we had decided that we weren't going to tell the rest of the family until after I had been to see my doctor, so it would have been difficult to explain why I was going to sit the rescue out"

Virgil understood. He knew that if Avery's family were just as protective as his own, that any sudden change in behaviour, such as her withdrawal from a rescue, would have set off warning bells. Especially if there was no real explanation as to why.

"Thunderbird 2 took the hit from the missile...causing her to crash into the ocean..." she stopped and swallowed hard, fighting to get past the lump that was forming in her throat. When she continued her voice was strained, close to breaking "Gordon went in after her to get Virgil out of there, while I stayed onboard the boat and got the girl and her parents moved over to Four" she told him "But I knew it was too late"

"How?" Virgil asked before he'd even realised that the question had passed his lips.

"Because Virgil told me...because he had already said goodbye" she managed before she broke down completely. Virgil mad his way out of bed and walked over to her, he put his arms around her to comfort her. Avery turned towards him and buried her head in his chest and cried.

A/N managed to get a mention in there to my favourite original series episode Terror in New York City :)


	18. Chapter 18

Wasn't expecting this chapter to be done so quickly, but it just came pouring out and I couldn't stop it. Hope you enjoy

Chapter 18

After several minutes Avery's sobs began to die down. She slowly lifted her head and looked up into Virgil's eyes. The way he was looking down at her reminded her so much of her Virgil that she very nearly began sobbing again.

"I'm sorry" she managed, her voice barely more than a whisper

"You have nothing to apologise for" he told her softly

"Yes I do. I came crashing into your life and turned it upside down...and now this" she replied as she ran her hand over the wet patch her tears has left on his t-shirt "and now I've made a mess of your clothes" she added

Virgil looked down at his chest and saw the tear stains that she was referring too. "It's okay it will dry" he said as he slowly led her towards his bed and sat her down. He then took a seat next to her.

"I've replayed his last words to me over and over again in my head" she told him, her gaze fixed firmly to the floor "Yet somehow it still doesn't feel real...you know"

"It's a natural response after a traumatic experience" he said, not sure what else to say. Avery didn't reply, instead she just nodded her head in agreement. As she raised her head from looking at the floor to turn her gaze back to Virgil it was then that he saw the tears falling once again.

"The hardest part was continuing on with the rescue as if it hadn't happened...trying to ignore the fact that his body was with us while we travelled to hospital in Thunderbird 4 and just get on with what I was doing..."

"What! Avery I..." Virgil began but didn't know what else he could say to her. Although he had many years of experience dealing with people who had just survived a traumatic experience after a rescue, when it came to what Avery had lived through he felt out of his depth. Truth was he wasn't sure if it was because he was still trying to get his head around everything, or because of the way that he felt when he was around Avery...

"When Thunderbird Two hit the water, Virgil was still alive. But he...when the missile hit... it had caused enough damage to the cockpit that...that he became trapped and couldn't get out of his seat..."

"Oh my god" Virgil gasped under his breath, understanding where Avery was going with this

"She began to take on water..." Avery stuttered as she continued her gaze back on the floor again. It was obvious that she just wanted to get through what she was saying "Because Virgil was trapped, he couldn't get to an oxygen tank..." she trailed off, her voice breaking

"So he...drowned?" Virgil asked, his voice trembling as he said the words.

Avery nodded

"By the time Gordon made it inside Thunderbird 2" Avery added her voice barely audible "the cockpit had already flooded. Gordon managed to cut Virgil free but when he got him back to Thunderbird Four, he was already gone...we tried CPR but it was too late" she began crying once again, the force of her sobs causing her whole body to shake. He wanted to tell her that it was okay, but he knew how patronising and hollow those words would sound. Instead he placed his arm around her and let her rest her head on his shoulder as she cried

Avery cried until she felt like she no longer had any more tears left in her to cry. At some point, although she couldn't remember when, Virgil had handed her a tissue which she had used to cover her face as she cried. After the tears had finally stopped, she lifted her head and her red rimmed green eyes found Virgil's. Avery wasn't sure if what happened next was due to the fact that her head was feeling messed up or because she was seeking comfort at that particular moment; but she felt the tension between them building. Then, as if she had no control over her body Avery found herself leaning in towards Virgil, her eyes still locked on his.

Their lips were inches away from each other...

"You need to get some rest" Avery said as she pulled away abruptly, as if coming to her senses; a blush finding its way into her cheeks.

"Er yeah..." Virgil coughed as he looked away from her, blushing too. Avery got on her feet, took a deep breath and turned back to face Virgil. She paused for a second as if she was about to say something else, but instead she turned and left the room.

Avery made her way to her bedroom, inwardly cursing herself for what had happen. She burst in through the door and as it closed behind her, she sagged against it. Her legs felt like jelly and she wasn't sure that they would get her over to her bed. After taking in several deep, shuddering breaths, she had been able to calm herself enough to make it across the room. But once she made it over to the bed she didn't sit down. She couldn't. She felt too agitated. Instead she paced back and forth, the incident with Virgil playing over and over in her head

"What the hell were you thinking?" she muttered to herself, angrily.

But the truth was she already knew the answer before the question had left her lips, it was because she was hurting and needed the comfort. She needed Virgil. Avery felt tears burning her eyes again. Only this time it wasn't because she was just feeling upset, but because she was feeling angry too. Angry at herself for what she had almost done. For almost destroying the relationship she had been developing with Virgil.

Avery wasn't stupid; she knew that Virgil wasn't her Virgil. Yet at the same time it was nice to be able to talk to him, even if that had involved reliving the most painful moment of her life.

Now she was convinced that he wouldn't want anything to do with her again. The tears she had felt now fell down her face. She felt like she had lost him all over again.

At the same time, back in his room, Virgil lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling. He could just make out the first rays of sunlight beginning to shine through, indicating that dawn had arrived on the island. He was exhausted and his body was begging him to sleep, but his mind wouldn't let him. He kept thinking about what Avery told him about how Virgil had died. He always knew that if he ever had to make the decision to sacrifice himself for his family he would do it without hesitation- it would terrify the hell out of him, but he would do it; that was how important his family was to him. But to know that out there, in another reality, that another version of himself had actually made that sacrifice, that was the part he was having trouble getting his head around

Well that and what had happened between him and Avery afterwards...

'What the hell was I thinking?' he whispered angrily to the otherwise empty room. He felt like he had tried to take advantage of her while she was feeling upset and vulnerable. But more than that, he felt confused because a very big part of him had wanted to kiss her.

What Virgil needed was to talk to someone. Although things were sorted out between himself and Scott, he was yet still to speak to his brother properly since he had collapsed during their last rescue. Partly because Virgil had been unconscious for most of it, although he also had to admit that when Scott had come down to the sick room to speak to him, he had faked being a sleep. Not because he didn't want to see Scott, but because he just couldn't face the talk he was going to get about not being honest about how he was feeling before going on a rescue.

Instead Virgil made his way across his room to his desk and took a seat at his chair. He decided that he would talk to John, so he placed a call up to Thunderbird 5. After a few seconds of waiting after pressing the button on the panel to connect him to his brother, John's smiling face appeared on the monitor before him

"Hey Virg, what's up. How are you feeling?" As he realised which occupant of their island base had made contact with him. But the look in Virgil's eyes gave him away. John knew straight away that this was serious

"I did something really stupid- and I'm talking monumental..." Virgil said, ignoring his brother's question and just getting straight to the point. Virgil filled John in on what Avery had told him, about how her Virgil had died. Once he had finished, he hesitated and looked down at his hands clearly embarrassed as he told John what had taken place between the two of them

"You kissed her?" John exclaimed

"Almost" Virgil emphasised

"So you stopped it before it happened?" John asked, trying to get a clearer picture in his head about what had taken place between his brother and Avery

"I think so"

John looked as confused as Virgil sounded "You think so?" he asked

"Well either I did, or she did, or we both did. I don't know. It happened so quick that I can't really say for sure"

On the monitor, the blond just nodded. "Then what happened?"

"She ran out of the room before I had chance to say anything...not that I'd have know what to say anyway"

"I see" John said in response

"I just feel like a complete jerk" Virgil confessed "There she was upset and feeling vulnerable and I stupidly tried to take advantage of her..."

"I doubt that Virgil, that's not the kind of person you are"

"But..."

"But nothing. Besides from what you've told me, she was just as responsible as you were for what happened" John pointed out

"Well yeah I suppose, but I should have known better" Virgil let out a deep sigh "At the moment she's having a hard time dealing with a lot of difficult things that have happened to her like losing her husband and then finding herself here.."

"I can understand that" John said reassuringly "But let me ask you something and I want an honest answer...okay?"

Virgil nodded

"How do you feel about her?"

"You mean am I...?"

"Are you attracted to her?" John clarified

"What...No...I..." John cocked his left eyebrow, clearly he wasn't convinced by his brother's response and Virgil knew it

"Come on Virg this is me you're talking to. I may not know you as well as Scott does, but I still know you well enough. You are, aren't you?"

"Okay fine" Virgil admitted, throwing his hands in the air and letting them drop back down again in defeat as a blush coloured his cheeks "There's definitely something about her. But I'm just not sure how I feel about her"

"Well you must feel something if you wanted to kiss her" John wisely pointed out "I'm not saying that you're in love with her or anything, just that you must be attracted to her in some way"

"Perhaps" Virgil agreed "Let's just say that I can see what the other Virgil probably saw in her"

"Meaning?"

"Meaning... I can't stop thinking about her okay" Virgil snapped in response

"Virg?.."

"I'm scared John" Virgil confessed in a hushed voice "Truth is there was something that drew me to her the moment I first saw her onboard Thunderbird 2"

"So what have you got to be scared about? It's not the first time you've been attracted to a woman"

"Because I know that nothing can ever happen between us...and the longer she's on the island..." Virgil paused and ran his hands through his hair. It was then that John saw how pale his brother looked and he was sure that it wasn't just because he had been ill. "She doesn't belong here John, she'll eventually leave and then what? Virgil added the last few words cascading out of his mouth in a rush

"Then you'll deal with it. But let me ask you this, what if she doesn't leave? What if Brain's can't find a way to get her home? What then?" John asked, his eyebrow shooting up again

"I don't know" Virgil admitted

"If she can't return home then maybe you could ask her if she wants to stay"

"I can't John"

"Why not?"

"Because how will I be able to know if any of the feelings she does have are because of me...or because of him?"

A/N This wasn't how I had originally planned on writing this chapter, the conversation with John etc pretty much wrote itself when I really should have been sleeping, but I had to get it down before I lost it or before it ended up keeping me awake all night


	19. Chapter 19

Thanks to everyone who posted reviews after my last update, and thanks to those who are reading, following and favouriting this story. You're support is really appreciated. Jo

Chapter 19

After his conversation with John, Virgil knew he needed to speak to Avery; to apologise for his behaviour if nothing else. Once his chat with John had ended, Virgil had wearily climbed back into bed, hoping to get some sleep

But it never came

His mind was still too active; he kept replaying what had happened with Avery over and over again. John had gone on to point out to his brother that unless he spoke to Avery about what was going on between them; It was the only way he would know for sure. That was even if Avery had any answers for him to begin with. A part of him was convinced that she was as confused by the whole situation as he was.

In the end he gave up trying to sleep and dragged himself back out of bed and grabbed his dressing gown, pulling it on as he left his bedroom. Although it was still early, in fact it had only been about four hours since the 'almost' kiss had taken place, Virgil was sure that Avery would be awake.

As he stepped out of his room and into the corridor a wave of dizziness hit him, causing him to come to an abrupt stop, gripping the door frame to steady himself. Seconds later the feeling passed and he continued towards Avery's room. Stopping in front of the guest room door, Virgil was about to knock when the door opened and Avery nearly walked right into him.

"Virgil" she gasped, surprised to see him standing there "I was just on my way to come and see you" she told him

"I...er...we need to talk" he stammered awkwardly. Although he knew that talking to Avery was the best thing to do under the circumstances, he didn't have a clue what to say or how to begin.

"I know...come in" she stepped aside and indicated for Virgil to enter her room. As entered then turned to face her, that was when she realised how pale and tired he looked. The dark circles under his eyes indicating that he too must have had difficulty sleeping.

"Are you okay?" she asked him as she noticed him swaying on his feet "You should be resting" she led him over to the bed and made him sit down before he fell over

"I'm fine" he lied. But realised the second the words left his lips that Avery would see his response for what it really was, so he added "I'm just tired" hoping that that would explain his appearance.

"Did you get any sleep...at all?" Virgil looked up at where she was standing over him, her expression relaying her concern more than her words could. Virgil only answered with a shake of the head

"Me neither" she confessed as she sat down on the bed next to him.

The two of them sat in silence for several minutes...neither of them sure what to say. But as the silence dragged on and started to feel more awkward, they both tried to break the tension

"Look about last night" Avery began

"I'm sorry" Virgil said at the same time

"You have nothing to apologise for" she told him as she turned to look at him.

Virgil was sat there staring at the ground, unable to look Avery in the eye. It was clear to her that he was feeling uncomfortable after what had happened between them. The only way she could get Virgil to look at her was for her to gently grab his chin and turn his face towards hers.

"Virgil" her voice was soft as she continued "You have nothing to apologise for because I should be the one apologising...I was the one who tried to kiss you..."

"It wasn't just you" Virgil corrected, but Avery continued as if he hadn't spoke

"After talking about what had happened when Virgil died...and you looking and smelling just like him...it just...I guess..."

"Wait...stop" Virgil insisted, placing a finger on Avery's lips to silence her "It wasn't just you" he repeated as he moved his finger away- Avery's eyes following its movement "You were vulnerable and I almost took advantage of that, and I shouldn't have. So you're wrong- I do have something to apologise for" Virgil got up from the bed and moved several paces away. To Avery he seemed very agitated

"Virgil?"

"The truth is Avery...I'm attracted to you. I've tried so hard to fight it... to ignore it, but..." he paused, his eyes closed as he took in a deep, shuddering breath. "...but I don't want you to think that I'm expecting anything by telling you this...I just wanted to be honest with you because you deserve that" He turned back towards her, once again unable to look her in the eye.

"I appreciate that" Avery got to her feet and slowly approached him. She came to stop just inches away from him, and due to her being several inches shorter than Virgil, she looked up at him.

"And I appreciate that you have been through a difficult time trying to deal with all of this" she went on "But so have I..."

"I know"

"No...You don't" she snapped "I'm sorry Virgil I think it's really sweet that you're trying to help... that you're trying to make me feel better and that you're trying to protect me. But you just don't get it...I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that my husband is gone, but how do I do that like this? ...How can I accept and adjust to Virgil being dead when you're standing here right in front of me...reminding me of what I've lost"

"Okay you're right" Virgil snapped back, clearly Avery's outburst had hurt him "I guess I'll just leave you alone so my presence won't upset you anymore" he turned to leave the room, but Avery grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Please" she begged "Don't go" her voice breaking. Virgil looked down at her, confused at her pleas. One moment she was telling him that she couldn't handle him being there, the next she was begging him to stay. He had no idea what she wanted, although he was sure that she had no idea what she wanted either.

Avery made her way back over to the bed and slowly sat back down.

"I didn't mean it like that...I'm sorry. It's difficult to explain" she told him, her voice barely more than a whisper. As she closed her eyes to try and compose herself, Virgil noticed a tear escape and run down her right cheek. Her hands were fisting the bedcovers either side of her as she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Virgil and I were in a relationship for almost four years" she explained "In that time you get used to things being a certain way when you're with that person; the way you act, the things you do and say..."

"Avery..."

"Please, let me finish" Virgil nodded for her to proceed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that last night...the circumstances...you holding me because I was upset. I suppose I got caught up in that feeling and acted like I would have done with my Virgil...instead of how I should act when I'm with you"

"Oh" Virgil responded, blushing slightly. He suddenly felt really stupid for thinking that maybe her actions had been because she had felt something for him. But he also knew, as he had told his brother John that it was difficult to know if she could differentiate between her feeling for the two of them; and her explanation had just proved him right.

"Like I said I appreciate you being honest with me about how you feel but..."

"No...No, I get it." He gasped "My presence just reminds you of him and what you had..." Virgil gasped again and swayed on his feet once again, only this time he stumbled forward. Luckily Avery had seen what was happening and had quickly got up on her feet and helped him over to the bed. She was sure that if she hadn't reacted as quickly as she had, he would have definitely ended up on his face, flat on the floor.

"Its okay" she reassured him, as he collapsed down onto his back on the bed. Virgil's eyes were tightly screwed shut as he struggled to get air into his lungs

"Virgil?" Avery placed her hand onto his forehead, he didn't feel feverish but his skin felt clammy to the touch. "I'll be right back okay"

Virgil gave her a small nod and pointed at the bed, indicating that he wasn't going anywhere

Avery dashed out of the room, once in the corridor she turned in the direction of the lounge, where she almost collided with Scott

"Whoa where's the fire?" he quipped

"It's Virgil" Avery managed, pointing in the direction of her room

Before she had a chance to explain, Scott pushed past her and rushed towards his brother. He entered the room and skidded to a halt when he got to the bed. He sat down next to Virgil and looked down at his brother. Virgil looked pained and very pale and it was clear to Scott that he was struggling to get his breath.

"Virgil...Virg its Scott, can you hear me?" Virgil nodded his head slightly, his eyes still shut

"Come on Virg, I need you to open your eyes for me okay. Can you do that?" As he spoke Scott took hold of Virgil's left hand in both of his shaking ones. Virgil opened his eyes and Scott could see the panic in them

"Scott..." he gasped, the panic Scott saw in his brothers face he could also hear in his voice

"Shh Virgil...don't try to speak...you're going to be okay" Scott told him soothingly, his voice strained as he fought to keep the panic he too was feeling hidden from his brother. He quickly checked his brothers pulse and could feel it hammering through his veins

At that moment, sounds of movement coming from the doorway behind him caused Scott's attention to be temporarily diverted away from his brother

"He's having..."

"A panic attack- I know" Avery told him as she made her way over to Virgil's side. That was when Scott realised that in her hands, Avery was carrying a small oxygen tank which had a mask attached to it. She placed the tank down on the bed next to Virgil before she gently placed the mask over his mouth and nose.

"It's okay Virgil- just try and take slow, deep breaths" she told him. She hated seeing the panic in his expression so she gently began stroking his forehead in a comforting gesture. It must have helped because as she continued she saw the panic slowly ebb away, and Virgil's breathing began to sound less laboured.

"His pulse is slowing" Scott said quietly. Avery nodded her eyes not leaving Virgil's as she continued to stroke his head.

"How is he?" the question startled both Scott and Avery, as both of them had their attention focused on Virgil; neither of them had heard Jeff enter the room.

"He'll be okay" Avery told both Scott and Jeff. She was still looking at Virgil, who had once again closed his eyes but his features looked a little more relaxed this time and the colour was beginning to return to his cheeks "He's exhausted and still fighting off that virus...plus he's been through a lot lately. He just needs lots of rest"

Six hours later Virgil woke to find himself back in his own room, lying in his own bed. He turned his head to find Avery sat in the chair next to him

"Hey" she whispered greeting him with a warm smile as she leaned towards him. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired... better. What happened?"

"You had a panic attack" she told him, before she explained to him how Scott and Jeff had helped her get Virgil back to his room.

"A panic attack?" he replied in surprise "I just remember that I felt like I couldn't get my breathe, my hands felt tingly and numb and my heart was pound so hard I was convinced it was going to explode out of my chest" he told her

"I know, that's normal for a panic attack. Look Virgil, you've been under a lot of strain recently- both physically and emotionally. It was only a matter of time before it all became too much..." she paused and guilt clouded his expression

"And the way I spoke to you earlier didn't help with that...I was out of line, I'm sorry I didn't mean for this to happen..."

"I Know you didn't Avery, besides you were right. I can't possibly understand how you're feeling. But I want to be there for you- if you'll let me?"

Avery nodded and grabbed the necklace that was hanging around her neck, grasping it tightly in her right hand. Virgil had seen her do this several times now and his curiosity finally got the better of him

"What is that?" he asked, indicating to whatever it was she had in her hand.

"This?" Carefully Avery unfastened the clasp that held the chain fastened, removed the necklace and handed it over to Virgil so he could have a look at it; placing it in his right hand. As he looked down at the necklace, Avery heard him let out a small gasp. Because in his hand, attached to a simple silver chain was a silver pendant

"It's Thunderbird 2"


	20. Chapter 20

Thanks for the reviews, likes and follows.

Chapter 20

"Why do you have a pendant of Thunderbird 2?" he asked

As Avery looked down at her necklace which was sat on the palm of Virgil's hand, a small, sad smile appeared on her face. As she returned her gaze back to Virgil, her expression changed to one of determination

"Brains made it" she told him "But it was Virgil who designed it" she added, the determined expression faltering for an instant. Virgil could tell that she wanted to tell him about it but that it was also difficult for her; so he didn't want to push it

"Really?" he said as he continued to stare down at the piece. He was beginning to realise how alike the two of them really were, first the music and now this...

Avery nodded "He was working on designing everyone a pendant of their 'birds before he died. It was a surprise he was working on...the only person who knew about it was Brains because Virgil had asked for his help with making them." Avery paused to take a breath "Brains decided to make us all a pendant of Thunderbird 2 after Virgil died...in memory of him"

"The detail is amazing" Virgil commented as he turned the pendant over in his hands to examine it more closely. The pendant itself was no more than an inch in length but it was a perfect miniature representation f Thunderbird 2, even down to the number detail on her wing. Virgil then noticed that on the base it had been signed by him...or should he say Avery's Virgil

"Watch this" Avery told him as she took the necklace out of his hands. Holding it carefully at each end she gently pressed down on the top of the pod with her right thumb, causing the pod to detach from the rest of the pendant; in the same way that a pod would separate from the real Thunderbird 2. The look of surprise on Virgil's face made Avery chuckle

"That's impressive" he said a little lost for words

"That's not all". With that Virgil then heard a faint click as Avery told him "The pod is a locket"

Avery handed the pod section back to Virgil so he could take a closer look. He didn't say anything but she could tell from his expression that the design had impressed him and for an instant she could imagine her own Virgil looking as impressed at his design. But she quickly banished the thought before it over powered her.

The pod opened like a book, as Virgil looked inside he noticed that the left side was empty, but in the right side there was a picture of Avery and Virgil together.

"That picture was taken on our wedding day" she told him as his eyes remained fixed on the pendants contents. It was obvious to him from looking at that photo that they were very happy together and they were very much in love. He actually felt a pang of jealousy looking at it.

"Actually the pendant was part of the evidence which proved to Brains that I was telling the truth"

"Because of the picture?"

"Partly, but also because of what else was it there...in the opposite side to the picture there was some of Virgil's hair"

' _That explains the empty half of the locket'_ Virgil thought

"Brains found a strand that still contained a hair follicle and was able to obtain a DNA sample...and found it was a match to yours. At first he wasn't completely convinced...but a mineral analysis proved to him that it couldn't have been a sample of your hair..."

"So you gave up a piece of him to prove that you were telling us the truth?" Virgil asked solemnly

"I thought that at first, then I realised that I'm carrying the most important piece of him inside of me" she replied as she lovingly rubbed her right hand over her belly

"And you still have this" he told her as he handed the necklace back to her "and the memories of the two of you together"

"That's true" she said, her sorrow evident as she looked back down at the necklace. She hadn't even noticed that Virgil had put the pod back in its place before he returned it to her. Avery stared at it in silence for a few moments before she put it back around her neck

"Brains gave us each one after Virgil's funeral. But it was obvious to everyone that he was nervous about giving them to us"

"Why?"

"Because they were of Thunderbird 2" Avery said in way of an explanation

"Sorry, I don't..."

"Because although we all knew how important Thunderbird 2 was to him...it was...she was also... where he died" her eyes were filled with tears which threatened to fall

"Of course...I'm sorry I should have realised" Virgil said mentally kicking himself.

"No...No it's okay" she insisted. Yet the look he gave her told her he didn't believe that she really was

"Okay" Virgil eventually said as he started to make a move towards getting out of bed

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked, as her medic persona took over

"I'll be back in a minute, I just need to use the...bathroom" he blushed slightly as he indicated over to the door which led to his en-suite bathroom.

"Of course" she told him as she got to her feet. "Are you okay?" she asked his as Virgil too got to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm good" he confirmed once he had got his balance. He then slowly shuffled towards his bathroom and entered, closing the door behind him.

Once he was out of sight, Avery took a moment to try and compose herself once again. As much as she wanted to be around Virgil, she also found it very painful. The tears she has been fighting so hard began to fall and as much as she wanted to stop them, she found she had no control over them.

"Hey it's okay" Virgil said quietly, making her jump at the sound of his voice. She hadn't even heard him approach

"I'm fine" she sniffed as she waved off his concern and then used the same hand to wipe her eyes

"You don't have to keep saying that you know. You don't have to be strong all the time" Virgil told her. He was standing so close behind her that she could feel his body heat. Slowly she took in a deep, shuddering breath and turned around so she was facing him.

Gently he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. Every fibre of her being was screaming at her to move away, but she couldn't. As much as she knew that she shouldn't be that close to him. But she needed the comfort...she needed to feel 'normal' again; and as crazy as it sounded being with Virgil made her feel 'normal'. Him not being there was what wasn't normal for her

So she stayed in his embrace

"I sometimes look at the necklace and I want to throw it as far away from me as I can" she admitted, her voice strained and thick with emotion "knowing that he took his last breaths while he was...was trapped inside her"

The tears once again began to flow, but this time she gave up trying to fight them and let them fall

"But then" she continued "I remember how happy he was when he was near her. How he said flying her made him feel so...alive"

Virgil understood what she meant. He felt the same way every time he was behind Thunderbird 2's controls.

"That's part of the reason why I still wear it, because of how important Thunderbird 2 was to him. She was as much a part of him as his family was"

"Um-mm" Virgil acknowledged. He understood that feeling too. After he had been shot down by the Sentinel, Thunderbird 2 was his main concern the moment he had regained consciousness.

"I can understand the reason why she was so important" Avery said "She was the reason why he was able to save so many lives"

"Including yours" Virgil told her. Avery broke apart from Virgil's embrace and took a step back away from him and looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. The tears she had shed causing tracks down her cheeks

"But he shouldn't have done it" she blurted out angrily.

"What do you mean?" Virgil asked her. Virgil could understand the anger she was feeling. If her Virgil hadn't done what he did by using Thunderbird 2 to take the missile's impact, it was unlikely that she would be alive right now...unless that was what she meant.

Was she wishing that he hadn't given his life to save hers?

"He should have kept away" she turned away from him as fresh tears began to fall. The anger in her words sent a chill up Virgil's spine.

"He had no choice" Virgil responded, his voice coming out harsher than he had intended. The surprised look on Avery's face at his tone caused a sharp pang of guilt to rip through him. Yet despite the guilt he felt he was glad his words had had that affect on her.

He felt like she was being selfish

"Look" he continued his voice softer this time "I know I don't have a wife...not even close. But I know that I would have done the same thing in his position"

"You would?"

"My brother's and I would do anything we could to protect each other, to keep each other safe. I'd willingly put my life on the line to save theirs. But your Virgil, he wasn't just protecting his brother, he was protecting his wife ...and his unborn child"

"I understand... why he did it...but I'm..." she forced out between sobs "But I wasn't worth it...I...he should have been the one to live... not me"

That was when Virgil realised he was wrong.

Avery wasn't being selfish.

She was feeling guilty.


	21. Chapter 21

Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favourites, I really appreciate it xx

Chapter 21

It had been just over a week since Virgil had collapsed due to a panic attack and he was grateful he was starting to feel more like his old self. Well, as much as he could considering that Avery was still on the island.

Her presence was still making him feel a little uncomfortable, so he had done the best he could to avoid spending too much time alone with her. Although it had proven difficult due to her taking on the role of medic and she had been the one who had taken care of him while he had been sick. At first it had been easy enough to avoid having to interact with her as he had either been sleeping or pretending that he was; but as the days progressed and he was beginning to feel stronger he couldn't continue to use it as an excuse.

The reason he had been trying so hard to avoid her wasn't because he didn't like her, but because he liked her to much. Plus he was feeling embarrassed by the fact that he had admitted to her that he was attracted to her. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now he found it had just made things awkward between them. Another reason he was trying to avoid spending too much time with her was because every time he did it seemed like his presence just made her upset.

Under the circumstances it was understandable why being around him upset her-he was a constant reminder of what she had lost. But Virgil was beginning to suspect that Avery was also trying to avoid spending any more time with him than she had to recently too. Her visits had become less frequent and she had begun resorting to sending either one of his brothers or another member of the island to check up on him instead. He suspected that she was probably feeling embarrassed by what had happened after he had had his panic attack.

As well as Virgil admitting how he felt, Avery had gone on to tell Virgil more about what had happened when her Virgil died. She had broken down and had as good as admitted that she felt guilty for surviving. He had held her as she cried and eventually she had been able to regain her composure; and although nothing had happened between the two of them, he knew they had both felt that same attractions that same pull as when they had nearly kissed.

Virgil was sat in his art studio thinking about everything that had happened when he had come to the conclusion that his feelings for Avery had been the reason why he had had that panic attack in the first place. He felt like such a fool for getting so worked up like that, but he couldn't help the affect she had on him. Although he had always come across as someone who was confident and sure of themselves, Virgil had always found it difficult to be around women he was attracted to. He remembered how that awkwardness he felt had resulted him in missing out on a few dates with girls back in his teen years because he couldn't get up the courage to talk to them.

But with Avery it was different. Despite the growing attraction he felt for her he felt strangely comfortable around her. The problem he was having this time was being around her and trying to act like his feelings weren't an issue when they clearly were.

Today was an important day because Virgil was going to find out when he'd be able to return to duty...well light duties at least. Truth was he would just be glad to be allowed off the island, he had missed being out there helping his brothers. But today was also important for another reason too. Since both Jeff and Virgil were feeling better and no one else on the island had gotten sick, it was determined that it was safe for John to return home. So both Alan and Scott had left in Thunderbird 3 to retrieve him. Although Virgil was looking forward to seeing his oldest blonde brother again, he was also nervous about his return. He was nervous because John had been the only one Virgil had confided in about what had happened between himself and Avery. He also knew that John still wanted to talk to Virgil about it as he had tried contacting him from Thunderbird 5 but Virgil had made up excuses to either avoid it or to end the conversation when the topic had turned to Avery.

So once Thunderbird 3 had launched, Virgil retreated into his art studio. He thought that hiding in there would be the safest bet as his brothers knew not to disturb him while he was working. He has taken a seat at his desk working on a sketch. It had only been just over a week since he had felt up to doing any drawing, to Virgil it had felt like an eternity. It felt good to be doing something normal without everyone else looking at him like he was going to break. Although no one had said anything, he had a feeling his brothers knew the reason why he had ended up having a panic attack. Every time any of them came in to either check up on him or to spend some time with him he could see the sympathy in their eyes when they looked at him. He knew they meant well but it was starting to become irritating.

So to get some time to himself and away from the pitying looks he decided to hide out in his studio. But he hadn't taken in to consideration the Tracy stubbornness or that fact that John hadn't been home in just over two months

"Dad said I'd find you in here" John said as he entered the studio, looking around the room curiously. It had been a while since John had been in there and he noticed several new pieces that Virgil was in the middle of working on; each at different stages of completion, either hanging on the wall or propped up on an easel

"Needed a change of scenery after spending so much time in my bedroom" Virgil told him as he closed up the sketch pad he had been drawing in when John walked in. Virgil put it aside and stood up, making his way over to the table on the far side of the room so that his back was to his brother. He was having a problem dealing with the fact that John had entered his space without permission

"Sorry to just barge in on you like this" John told him as if he could read his thoughts "but I have tried talking to you over the last few days but you've been avoiding me"

"I haven't been avoiding you…I spoke to you a couple of days ago…" Virgil exclaimed credulously

"I know you did. Come on Virg we both know that's not what I mean"

"It's complicated"

"I bet it is" John replied. That was when Virgil turned back towards John and saw what he was doing…

"Hey" he snapped, rushing forward to snatch the sketch pad from his brothers hands

"It's good" John commented indicated the pad "you've certainly captured her likeness"

Virgil looked down at the pad and the picture that John had been referring to. After entering his studio, Virgil had picked up his sketch pad and a piece of charcoal and began to draw. He didn't even have anything specific in mind as he began, but what he had realised that without even thinking about it, he had begun to sketch Avery.

"It's….it's not what you think" Virgil stuttered as his cheeks flushed

"You don't have to pretend around me" John told him

Virgil let out a deep sigh. "I told her how I felt about her" he confessed.

"And?" John asked when it was clear that Virgil wasn't going to say anything else

"And nothing. She said she appreciated my honesty but…" he ended his sentence with a shrug.

"But what?" John pressed, gently. He could tell from Virgil's posture that he was feeling uncomfortable, yet he also knew that his brother needed to talk about it.

"I don't know…she said that it was difficult being around me, yet when I went to leave…she stopped me"

"And that confused you?"

Virgil gave John a look that could only be interpreted as ' _you think?'._ "Of course it did. I understand that she's going through a difficult time, but how am I supposed to know how to act around her when even she doesn't know what she wants"

"Did you tell her that?" John asked

"I was going to but then I had that stupid panic attack thing…so I never got the chance" Virgil explained. He started messing around with some painting equipment that were on the side, just to give himself something to do with his hands.

"And you haven't said anything since?" John walked over to where Virgil was standing and took a seat on the stool that was placed next to the workbench that Virgil was facing. He looked up at his brother in concern. It had been several minutes and Virgil had yet to answer him "Virg?"

"She's been avoiding me" he admitted, his voice quiet. "She has barely spoken to me since, except to ask how I'm feeling"

"She just needs time" John told him "you both do"

"I know"

Silence fell between the two of them and John knew that he wasn't going to get anything else from Virgil about what he was feeling. So he decided to change the subject to something he knew his brother would be more likely to talk about.

"So when will you be back on duty? I bet you're itching to get back out there?"

Virgil nodded and John saw the tension leave his brothers shoulders. He was glad that the change of subject had worked. Virgil was suddenly more relaxed

"I am. Hopefully not much longer, I'm getting sick of our younger brothers complaining about how slow Two is"

Although they had been lucky that International Rescues services had only been required for a couple of minor rescues, Virgil hated that he had been stuck at home while his brothers went out without him. He especially hated the childish comments that Gordon and Alan would make about Thunderbird 2 when they knew Virgil could hear them. Yet he also knew that when I came down to it, the two of them would do everything they could to genuinely avoid hurting their brother by causing any damage to his green lady.

"Yeah I heard" John admitted with a chuckle. "It won't be long before you're back where you belong, behind her controls…Virg are you okay?" John asked concerned when Virgil visibly paled.

"What?...yeah it's nothing" he said shaking off his brothers concern.

The raised eyebrow that John gave him told Virgil that he didn't believe him.

"Ok, it's just something that Avery told me…the way she talked about her Virgil and how…" Virgil paused and took a deep breath. He had no idea why talking about the death of the other Virgil was suddenly so difficult for him.

"About how he died" John finished for him. Virgil nodded

"He died at the controls of Thunderbird 2…did you know that ?" He said to John, although he knew that it wasn't possible for him to know because no one else had been told. "I don't know, for some reason since she told me, a part of me feels a little weird about being back behind her controls"

"Just cos something happened to him doesn't mean it will happen to you" John said trying to reassure him. "Have you spoken to Dad or Scott about this?"

Virgil shook his head. "You're the only person I've mentioned it too. It's not that I have any doubt in my abilities or anything like that…it's just Avery told me that he such a strong connection to his Thunderbird 2…"

"And you think because you're the same that you'll end up the same way?. Avery and her family are living in different circumstances, it's doesn't mean…"

"But it doesn't mean that it won't happen to me…" Virgil interrupted cutting John off mid sentence

"We all know of the risks we take doing this job"

"I know, I understand that. But I'd be lying if I said that her story hadn't unnerved me" Virgil confessed "and knowing that he died like that. I don't know, it just makes the possibility feel more real somehow"

John nodded understanding what Virgil was getting at. They all knew the dangers involved in doing what they did, but finding out that it had actually happened to one of them, even if it was an alternate version, made the fact more real. But it hadn't only made it feel more real for just Virgil…John felt it too.

"Was it on a rescue?" John asked curiosity getting the better of him

Virgil gave a small chuckle "I see you're as curious about it as I was". John shrugged but Virgil knew why John had asked. He liked to learn and understand things but from a scientific point of view whereas Virgil liked to learn about things from the engineering side. Virgil then proceeded to tell his brother everything that Avery had told him about the rescue that cost her Virgil his life.

"Wow" John whispered as he let out a long breath, once Virgil had finished speaking "I can't even begin to image how hard that must have been… for any of them"

"I know…but I can understand why he did it" Virgil admitted, earning a nod of agreement from his blonde brother. "I know I'd do the same for any of you" he added his voice barely more than a whisper

"I know Virg, we all would" John told him as he placed a comforting hand on Virgil's shoulder.

At that moment there was a knock at the door and Scott entered the studio.

"Sorry to interrupt" he told his brothers as he realised that he has walked in on some serious. He could tell, not only because he knew his brothers so well, but the tension that was hanging in the air was a clear indication that they were talking about something important

"What's up Scott?" John asked tearing his gaze away from Virgil to look over at their oldest brother as he approached them. Virgil was grateful to John as he didn't know if he could trust his voice at that particular moment.

"Dad sent me to get you, apparently Brains has some news he wants to share with all of us"


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

As Virgil followed John and Scott into the villas lounge, he found that everyone else was already there waiting for them to arrive. Virgil looked around the room at those gathered there. As usual Jeff was sat behind his desk, with Brains stood beside him. They were talking about something but their voices were too low that he couldn't make out what it was they were discussing. Gordon was sat on one of the chairs located near the wall which contained their portraits. Scott made his way over and claimed the empty chair next to the redhead. Grandma was sat on the sofa which led down to Thunderbird 3's silo, but she wasn't alone. To her left sat Tin-Tin while Avery sat on her right. Kyrano stood behind his daughter, his hand resting on her shoulder.

Upon his entering the lounge, Virgil's gaze had landed on Avery, whereas her attention had been on the conversation she had been having with Grandma and Tin-Tin. Glancing over, Jeff noticed that his missing sons had joined them. "Take a seat boys" he told Virgil and John who were standing just inside the doorway. At Jeff's words the other occupants of the room turned to look at them, including Avery. For a moment her eyes locked on Virgil's before she quickly averted them; a blush colouring her cheeks. John noticed the exchange between them and a small smile formed on his lips.

As both Virgil and John took their seats on the opposite side to where Scott and Gordon were seated, Jeff put a call through up to Thunderbird 5. Alan's live video feed replaced the image of his portrait. "Okay then since everyone is here, I'm going to hand things over to Brains"

"Th..thank you Mr Tracy" Brains said to Jeff as he stepped out from behind Jeff's desk "The reason w..why I asked you here is b..because I believe I..I have figured out how Avery c..c..came to be in our reality"

"You have?" Avery asked, shocked

Brains went on to explain that it was because of the information he had retrieved from the flight recorder of Avery's plane that had helped him to figure it all out

"How was that possible?" Scott asked, confused. "I know you said that the plane's black box helped you to determine that she wasn't lying about who she was..."

"And it d..did since it gave her take off co-ordinates a..as Tracy island" he reminded them .

"So how does it explain how she came to be here Brains" This time it was John who spoke, asking the question that was on every ones lips

"B..because it turned out that the f..f..flight recorder contained additional information not found on o..o..ordinary recorders" Brains clarified "that c..combined with the information A..Avery has given me before she lost control of h..h..her plane..."

"You were able to then figure it out" John finished, understanding what had led the genius t figure everything out

"So what was the additional information you found?" Virgil asked. His question causing Avery to briefly look over in his direction again before her attention returned back to Brains

"R..readings of the composition of the air s..surrounding the p..plane itself" Brains answered

"Come again?" Gordon asked this time

"That's right...I forgot about that" Avery exclaimed

"What?" Gordon again

"My Brains had fitted all our crafts with detectors which would take readings of pollutants in the air, like radiation..."

" These readings were t..then recorded in the f..f..flight recorder" Brains added "I believe that the c..combination of these contaminants in the air, the m..materials used in the m..m..modification of Avery's plane and the l..lightening strike caused a rift to open between our r..r..realities"

"So does that mean that you can use this information to recreate the incident and open the rift up again?" Jeff asked curiously

Brains nodded and murmurs broke out amongst the rooms occupants

"Theoretically I believe it i..is possible"

"Theoretically" Avery said, sounding disappointed

"Unfortunately at this s..stage...yes" Brains confessed, a blush creeping into his cheeks "I..I'm sorry I..If I got y..your h..hopes up"

Avery gave Brains a small smile "It's okay. That's still more than we knew before. Besides if you're just as clever as the Brains I know...you'll figure something out". Another blush filled Brains' cheeks

"There is o..one thing that may help" he admitted, his gaze moving over towards Jeff

"What's that Brains?" Jeff asked

"Knowing what the planes m..modifications are made o..o..out of"

Jeff nodded as he stood up from his chair. "Okay boys looks like we have a salvage operation on our hands" he said to his sons. As he spoke they all got to their feet. "Scott, Gordon, John...I want you all on this...Sorry Virgil but you will have to stay here".

"FAB" the three of them said in response. Scott gave Virgil as small, apologetic smile as he made his way over to the entrance which led down to Thunderbird 2, as their brothers made their way towards the lift to take them down towards the hangars.

"Thunderbirds are go"

A/N: I apologise for my lack of knowledge regarding anything science-y in this chapter as I'm not a scientist in anyway and sorry for my delay in getting this update posted


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Thanks for the lovely reviews and for sticking with me, I really appreciate your support.

After Scott, John and Gordon had left onboard Thunderbird 2, Virgil moved closer to his father's desk so he could listen in on his brothers' updates. The plan was for Scott to fly Thunderbird 2 over the planes last known co-ordinates, drop the pod containing Thunderbird 4 to the surface; then the rest was up to Gordon. It was doubtful that they would be able to bring the plane back intact, but all Brains needed were some samples from different sections of the plane itself so that he could examine the materials it was made of to see how that would have impacted the rift opening between the different realities.

Virgil hadn't been the only one to have stayed to listen in on the salvage operation. Other than Alan and Tin-Tin, Avery had also stayed to listen in. Despite the mission taking place because of Brains, the engineer had returned to his lab; although Jeff knew that he would still be listening in to what was going on so he could offer his advice if it was needed. Grandma and Kyrano had retreated into the kitchen to prepare dinner for when the boys returned home.

Sitting there in the lounge, Virgil felt more than useless. He hated sitting on the sidelines while his brothers were out there, even for something as simple as a salvage operation. In fact all of the brothers felt the same way. It just reminded him of how useless he had felt when Scott and Gordon had to rescue Ned Cook and his cameraman after they had become trapped when the Empire State building had collapsed. He knew that at the time there wasn't anything he could have done since Thunderbird 2 was out of commission and he had suffered a head injury. But it still made him feel helpless. He was feeling that exact same way now and he hated it. Although he had been sidelined this time because he had been ill, he knew he felt well enough to have piloted his bird to the site and held her there while his brothers did what needed to be done.

Instead, Scott was doing his job. Not that he had any doubt in his brother; Scott's piloting abilities were better than his own, but Virgil knew Two better than anyone. Feeling frustrated, Virgil quietly left the lounge, hoping that no one noticed or would question his decision to leave. Thankfully no one did – but that did not mean that his departure went unnoticed.

Jeff watched his son leave the room and felt a stab of guilt. He knew that Virgil was upset and angry, especially about being left behind and he knew he hadn't handled it well. Even though Virgil hadn't said anything, his sons silence spoke volumes; plus Jeff could see the pain and disappointment in the artist's eyes. He quickly exchanged an almost pained look with Avery once Virgil was out of sight.

Despite only being on the island with this Tracy family for almost two weeks now, Avery knew what that look had meant. She had seen it many times before on the face of the Jeff Tracy that she knew. Avery knew that as much as Jeff wanted to go after Virgil, his other sons needed him just as much right now. Jeff was clearly feeling conflicted and Avery knew that she could help him. She gave Jeff a quick nod and silently left the lounge to go in search of Virgil.

"Virgil?" she said. Though her voice was soft, his name echoed around the cavernous hangar that usually housed Thunderbird 2. After checking for Virgil in his bedroom and his art studio, she had a feeling that this was probably where she would find him.

Avery found him sat on a stool, staring at the empty space that Thunderbird 2 usually occupied, a small wrench in his hand. For a moment he reminded her so much of her Virgil that she felt her chest tighten.

"You're just like him, you know" she managed, her voice thick with emotion "He'd always be fiddling with something when he was upset. It was if he expressed his emotions with his hands"

"I don't know what you're talking about" he mumbled, staring down at the floor in front of him

"My Virg would either use his art or his music as his way of expressing how he was feeling. Depending on his choice of colour or the tone of his composition, it was easy to tell how he was feeling. At other times when he couldn't do either of those things, especially when he was frustrated, he would pick something up...I think it was just to give his hands something to do"

Virgil looked down at the wrench in his hands and then placed it down on top of the tool cabinet next to him. When he looked up at her, he gave her a small smirk which told her that she was right- he was the same way.

Avery looked around her, taking in the sight of Thunderbird 2's hangar "It' been a long time since I've been in here" she admitted "After Virgil died I just couldn't bring myself to..."

Virgil looked up at her again and was about to speak when she continued "You're father isn't punishing you, you know that right?" she continued changing the subject

"I know" he told her with a nod "But I'm fine...I could have flown that mission" he added as he got to his feet and began pacing back and forth his frustration clearly visible.

"I know but you're father is just concerned in case you're not fit enough yet..."

"I said I'm fine" he yelled back, cutting her off. "I feel like he doesn't trust me anymore after what happened on my last mission"

"I'm sure that's not true" Avery approached Virgil and stood in front of him, stopping his pacing "I may have only been here for a couple of weeks, but I know your father and his reluctance to send you out there has nothing to do with trust" Avery grabbed Virgil by both of his arms, forcing him to look at her "Believe me, he trusts you...this has nothing to do with trust"

"Then what is it then?" he asked frustrated

"He's scared Virgil" she snapped back

"Scared? Why?"

"He's scared of losing you...of losing any of you"

The look on Virgil's face was one of part surprise and part guilt. He realised that he hadn't thought of it like that, at least not for a very long time. When they first began developing the concept of International Rescue it was something that had been discussed, they all knew the risks involved and they all accepted it. Over time it was something that was pushed to the back of their minds, something that they didn't always think about unless something happened; such as the affect it would have on their father or each other if anything did happen.

Perhaps he was becoming complacent with it, perhaps they all were

"My being here is a reminder to him of what he could lose every time you and brothers go out there" Avery told him, her voice calm and quiet when she spoke

"But this is just a routine salvage operation..."

"And we were on a routine rescue operation, one we had performed many times before...and yet we still lost him"

Virgil looked like he was about to speak, but stopped while he considered what she was saying

"You're right." He admitted "I guess in a way after everything we've been through we've started to forget about the dangers we face. We just go out there, completely focused on the rescue that we sometimes forget about the risk to ourselves"

"Because you come back unharmed?" Avery asked

"Most of the time- yeah" he agreed. "I guess I owe you another apology" he said sheepishly

"That's not necessary, I've already told you that" Avery told him. "But I think your father would feel happier if you went back up to the lounge to be there for when your brothers return" she added, holding her hand out to him. With a small smile Virgil took her hand and together they left the hangar, hand in hand and headed back up to the lounge


	24. Chapter 24

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed my last chapter. This one is a little shorter, more of a filler chapter really

Chapter 24

"Thunderbird 2 to base, mission complete, heading home"

"Very well son, good job. See you soon"

"FAB" was Virgil's reply as he ended the transmission.

It had been several weeks since Virgil had been allowed to return to duty. Things were a little tense to begin with when he first got back behind the controls of Thunderbird 2. To begin with he put it down to nerves because he hadn't flown in over a week. But even now- weeks later, the nerves were still there every time he sat in the pilot's chair.

"Am I glad to be heading home" an exhausted John said breaking Virgil from his thoughts. The rescue had thankfully been straightforward, but exhausting for all of them; although Virgil wasn't going to admit to how tired he was really feeling. Instead, he just nodded his head in agreement with his blonde brother's statement

"Everything okay Virg?" Gordon asked. Although Virgil hadn't said anything he just hadn't been himself lately. Something was off with him and Gordon wasn't sure what to do about it.

"Yeah Gordon, I'm fine" he replied, dismissing his brothers' concern. He briefly glanced back at both his brothers, giving them a small smile. "Just glad to be heading home" he added, agreeing with John's earlier remark as he returned his attention back to flying his 'bird.

What Virgil didn't see was the look that passed between his brothers. They both knew that although Virgil was physically fit enough to be back on duty, they had both also noticed their older brother's hesitation each time he sat in that chair.

Later that evening, Jeff sat down to supper with Scott, Virgil, John, and Gordon. Whilst they ate they discussed the rescue that they had returned from. Alan had contacted them to inform them that he had received a call from Mountain Rescue in the French Alps. An avalanche had hit a popular tourist destination. At first, Jeff had been reluctant to send his boys out there; believing they would struggle as it would bring back too many painful memories. However, they had all argued that people's lives were at stake and they couldn't just sit back and let them die, especially if they could help. Jeff had listened in to what was happening with a sense of pride that was tinged with sorrow. Any rescue that resulted in a loss of life was difficult enough, but any involving avalanches were always a little too close to home; the Tracy family knowing the devastation that this particular form of natural disaster can cause first hand.

The conditions had meant that progress during the mission was slow and exhausting. Many had suffered injuries and although there were casualties the numbers were low. Mainly due to international Rescues help.

"I think it will be best if you boys get some sleep- you all look exhausted. Plus we never know when the next call will come in" Jeff told his sons once they had finished eating

"Goodnight" Virgil said as he got up from his seat, making a hasty retreat from the lounge towards his bedroom.

"Something's still not right with him" Scott sighed as soon as Virgil was out of earshot. Scott and Virgil were usually close, but since Avery's arrival, Virgil had barely spoken to him. They had not drifted apart like that since Scott was a teenager who was fed up with having his younger brother following him around everywhere. But even though Virgil hadn't been confiding in him, Scott knew one brother who Virgil had been talking to

"John, he's been opening up to you recently, is there anything that he's said that we should be aware of?"

John opened his mouth as if he was about to answer but just as quickly closed it again and shook his head. "I'm sorry Scott but it's not my place to say" was all he said in reply

"John, I respect your loyalty to your brother, but Scott's right. If something's not right with Virgil we need to be aware of it" Jeff said echoing his eldest's concerns

"Yeah John, Virgil definitely hasn't been himself lately. I don't know if anyone else has noticed it's almost as if he's afraid to fly Thunderbird 2" Gordon added

John knew about Virgil's recent issues and has been doing his best to help him overcome his fear before any of their other brothers realised what was happening. Clearly, his 'help' hadn't helped as much as he had hoped if Gordon had noticed. Unfortunately, the look on John's face gave him away

"You knew about this?" Scott exclaimed angrily, getting to his feet that quickly that he knocked his chair over in the process.

"Boy's that's enough" Jeff interjected sternly when John also got to his feet. "All three of you go and get some sleep. I'll speak to Virgil myself and find out what's going on"

"But Father..." Scott began

"No arguments. Now get to bed- all of you" he told them, trying his best to suppress a chuckle. Despite his son's being grown men, when they argued like this it reminded Jeff of when they were children.

"Yes father" they all agreed. Reluctantly Scott and Gordon left, but John hung back; he wanted to speak to their father-alone

"What is it John?" Jeff asked as he made his way over to his desk. John followed him and stood in front of the desk.

"Gordon's right...about Virgil I mean" John said

"Mmm" Jeff nodded "I know he's been struggling with a few things since Avery showed up"

"It's not Avery" John admitted "well, not exactly"

John slowly paced back and forth in front of his father's desk. He was feeling torn. As much as he wanted to tell Jeff everything he knew; he had also made a promise to Virgil too. Jeff saw the battle that was waging inside his son

"John" he began as he walked back around his desk and approached his blonde son "I understand that you don't want to betray your brother's trust and you have no idea how grateful I am that Virgil has had you to help him through this. But if his issues are potentially going to put him and the rest of you in danger then I need to know..."

"That's the issue" John confessed "After he found out from Avery about what happened with her Virgil..."

"It's made him more cautious in case anything happens when he's out there" Jeff finished

"Something like that...I don't know. To be honest, Dad, although he has spoken to me about some things I'm sure there's a lot he's not telling me."

Once again Jeff nodded. Even though Jeff wasn't giving much away, John could tell that his father was worried about Virgil- hell, they all were.

"I know you boys don't open up to me as easily as you do to each other. But I will talk to him about all of this"

"Okay father" John sighed before he broke out into a jaw-splitting yawn

"Now son, go and get some sleep"

"FAB. Goodnight father" John said before heading off to bed.


	25. Chapter 25

Hi Everyone, sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, was busy writing and re-writing it. Although I'm still not sure if I'm happy with it or if it comes across the way i would like it to

Hope you enjoy it and i'd love to hear your thoughts. Jo

Chapter 25

Jeff couldn't sleep.

After his conversation with his sons regarding Virgil, he found that he couldn't switch off. Although he hadn't spoken of his concerns to anyone he was growing more and more concerned about his artistic son. Knowing that his other sons shared his concern made him feel less like he was over reacting and being an over protective parent.

Jeff had learnt early on how to tell if something was bothering his boys. Scott was usually the more hot-headed of his sons. Jeff always put it down to him being the oldest so he was always looking out for his brothers; doing everything he could to protect them. John may be the quieter, more studious of his sons, but Jeff found that he could always tell when something was bothering him; somehow he found a way to retreat even more into himself. But Jeff was thankful that these days he was more forthcoming when things were bothering him than when he was a teenager.

Gordon was pretty easy going. If something was bothering him, he would become quiet and serious. That wasn't to say that Gordon couldn't be serious when he needed to be, especially during rescues. But ever since his hydrofoil accident, he seemed to have developed a fearless, positive attitude to things which everyone around him found contagious. Alan was the easiest to tell when something was wrong, he wore his heart on his sleeve; and even if he wasn't being open about how he was feeling his face would always give him away.

No, Virgil was different. He had a way of hiding how he was really feeling. Although Jeff and everyone else in the family could tell when something was wrong, getting Virgil to open up about it was another matter entirely. Usually, the only way anyone could really understand how Virgil was truly feeling was through his music or his art.

But Jeff was grateful that Virgil had decided to confide in John. But Jeff was also sure that Scott was having a problem with that although he wouldn't readily admit it. Jeff knew that the circumstances his family was dealing with were unique and he was just relieved to know that Virgil wasn't going through it alone. Yet at the same time, he felt devastated that what Virgil was struggling to deal with the most wasn't Avery's presence like he had first believed.

' _How do you help someone deal with the news of their own death?_ ' He thought to himself as he made his way out of bed. He had come to the decision that if he wasn't going to be able to sleep he would take advantage of it and get some work done instead. But first, he needed coffee.

Jeff headed from his room and went straight into the kitchen emerging a few minutes later with a mug of hot coffee in his hand and headed into the lounge towards his desk. He was about to set his mug down when movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

He turned to find Virgil sat at his piano, staring out of the window into the dark night, the lid of his piano still closed.

"Virgil?" Jeff said, his voice low as he approached his son slowly, not wanting to startle him.

"Oh, hi dad. Sorry I was miles away" he replied blinking up at his father, a small tired smile on his lips "I wasn't expecting anyone to be up"

"I was just about to say the same thing about you" Jeff told Virgil with a small chuckle. As Virgil looked up at his father he noticed that is expression suddenly became more serious. "Is everything alright son?"

"Yeah everything's fine" Virgil told him, breaking eye contact with his father as he answered him. Jeff stepped closer to the piano and gently rested his hands on the top of it. For a moment he didn't say a word, he just looked down at is son scrutinising him.

"You know Virgil; normally I would accept your answer..."

Virgil opened his mouth to argue, but Jeff continued cutting him off before he could begin

"...But I know that you're not son"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Look, Virgil, I know that you've been having trouble dealing with Avery's presence on the island..."

"This has nothing to do with Avery" Virgil interrupted, his tone defensive

"Virgil..."

"It's not" he snapped. His reaction confirming to Jeff that something really was bothering his son as Virgil rarely lost his temper. Ignoring his son's outburst, Jeff continued

"Virgil, I understand you're feeling confused..."

"It's not like that" he argued, clearly frustrated with what is father was implying

"If it's nothing to do with your feelings towards Avery, then what..."

"I'm scared, okay" Virgil admitted, his voice barely more than a whisper. It was obvious to Jeff that it was difficult for Virgil to admit how he was really feeling, especially to his father.

"Oh Virgil, there's nothing wrong with being scared" Jeff told him

"I can't explain it" Virgil continued "We've always known the risks involved every time we go out on a rescue. But ever since Avery told me about how her Virgil died..."

Jeff nodded – so John was right.

"...I don't know, it's as if knowing what happened..." he paused and Jeff could tell that he was feeling overwhelmed

"I understand son, really. Ever since Avery told us that she had lost her Virgil, it had certainly made that feel more real" The expression on Virgil's face told Jeff that he felt the same way.

"I can't begin to imagine what my counterpart is going through" Jeff told Virgil, his voice thick with emotion. It was clear that just thinking about how the other Jeff was feeling was hard for him to deal with. "The only thing that helped me get through losing your mother was you boys; knowing that a part of her was still alive through her boys. I can't bear the thought of losing you...of losing any of you"

"Dad" Virgil whispered, overwhelmed by how honest Jeff was being. This was a side of him that Virgil and his brother's rarely saw. Even after their mother died, they had never seen their father break down. Instead Jeff would retreat behind closed doors and mourn his loss in private. As a child, Virgil thought it was because Jeff couldn't bear to be around his sons; as they were a reminder of what he had lost. But as he had grown up, he saw his father's actions for what they really were- he thought he was trying to protect them. In doing so Jeff had unintentionally pushed them away and it had put a strain on their relationship.

"You think I don't understand the risks? I've lived them too" Jeff said, referring to his Air Force and NASA days. "Every time there is a call to send you boys out on a rescue, a little voice in the back of my mind whispers 'could today be the day that you sacrifice one of your sons for a complete stranger?' but I know that if I was to listen to that voice, then International Rescue wouldn't exist..."

"Did you know that he died at the controls Thunderbird 2?" Virgil said suddenly, his outburst throwing Jeff for an instant.

"No son, I didn't..."

"He deliberately flew her into the path of a missile" he continued

Jeff stood there in silence, unsure of what to say while Virgil told him everything he had learned about how Avery's Virgil had died

"Is that why you've felt hesitant when you've flown her recently?" Jeff asked

Virgil looked at him quizzically

"Gordon told me" he clarified

"Gordon?" Virgil gasped in surprise. Virgil was sure that if anyone had said anything to their father, it would have been John; especially since Virgil had found himself confiding in him more and more recently.

"Yes, Gordon" he confirmed. Despite being the joker in the family, it was well known that Gordon also had a sensitive side. This meant he was usually more aware of how others around him felt. It was also believed that this was the main reason why he tried to make people laugh.

"Your brothers have noticed that something isn't right, they're worried about you son...we all are?" Jeff added

"I don't want to worry anyone" Virgil confessed

"And that's why you haven't said anything to anyone- not even John?"

"How could he!" Virgil snapped, angry at John's perceived betrayal

"John has only voiced his concerns son, he hasn't betrayed your confidence" Virgil looked set to argue back with his father, but before he could, Jeff stopped him by raising his hand. "Look, son, if you don't talk to me about what's going on, I'm going to have to prevent you from going out on calls..."

"But father..."

"No buts Virgil. If you're not feeling confident going out in Thunderbird 2, then I'm not going to allow it. I'm not going to allow you to put yourself or your brother's lives at risk because you have doubts in your abilities"

"It's got nothing to do with me doubting my abilities" Virgil admitted

"Then what is it about?" Jeff asked as he walked around the piano to get closer to his son

"It's not easy to explain" he began "Even after I was shot down by the Sentinel; I have always felt safe inside Thunderbird 2 like she protects me..."

Jeff nodded his head to indicate that he knew what Virgil was talking about, but he did not respond

"...And it's not just me, she's responsible for keeping my brothers and the people we rescue safe too"

"I do understand that son, but she's just a machine. She can be repaired or replaced."

"I know that" Virgil replied in an agitated tone as he got up from his piano and made his way over to the window. He could feel the tears burning his eyes, just as much from frustration as from pain. He felt them threatening to fall and for some reason, at that moment he couldn't bear the thought of his father seeing him like that. "But it's not like that" he managed, his voice shaking slightly with the strain of trying to get his words out "It's not that I have doubts in Thunderbird 2 or in myself to fly her"

"Then what is it?" Jeff asked as he walked up behind Virgil and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder

"When Avery told me about what happened with her Virgil and about how he died trapped inside Thunderbird 2, it did scare me" Virgil wiped his hand over his face as the tears he had fought so hard to fight began to fall.

"I told you, there's nothing wrong with being scared" Jeff said in a soothing tone "We all get scared. Everything we do involves risk son. You boys put yourselves into situations which increases those risks...it's understandable that you'd be scared about that."

"I can handle that part" Virgil sniffed "I'm scared that I'll end up in a similar situation that he was in" he said, talking about Avery's Virgil once again

"They were in extreme circumstances son, they were being targeted directly"

"But we still face situations where our lives are in danger" Virgil told Jeff in a matter of fact tone

"And it's normal to feel scared about that" Jeff reassured him

"I know" Virgil replied. It was becoming clear to Jeff that Virgil was becoming very frustrated by the conversation

"Then what is it you're trying to say?"

"I'm not scared of risking my life to help people...well I am but it's nothing that I haven't done before and can't handle" Virgil began "What's scaring me is that I could make a decision to save someone which could cost me my life..."

Virgil could see the confusion on his father's face being reflected back at him in the window. It was then that Virgil realised that due to the darkness outside, the window was acting like a mirror and reflecting their images back at them. That meant that Jeff could also see Virgil's image just as clearly and Virgil inwardly cursed himself for not noticing sooner.

"...I told you it wasn't easy to explain" he told his father with a small, forced chuckle as he turned around to face the older man.

"You have to remember son that the other Virgil chose to risk his life to protect his family..." Jeff stopped as he suddenly realised what his son's fear was. "I know how close you boys are – that you would do anything to protect one another...even at risk to yourself"

Virgil nodded. Once again the tears began to fall but this time he didn't fight them.

"Oh Son" Jeff whispered as he wrapped his arms around Virgil in a tight embrace. It had been a long time since he had held one of his sons as they cried. As they stood there, memories flashed through Jeff's mind of when he would comfort them as kids, and before he knew it tears began to fall down his cheeks too.

Gently pulling away from his father's embrace and looked into his eyes. For an instant, he was surprised to see the tear stains on his father's face.

"Knowing that you are out there together is a comfort to me because I know that you will look out for each other" Jeff told Virgil, his voice thick with emotion

"But what about the consequences?"

"Consequences?"

Virgil took a deep breath before he began "Avery told me that when Virgil died, it tore her family apart"

"And you're worried that something like that could happen to us" Jeff said understanding

"What if I'm ever in a situation where I had to make a decision that meant sacrificing myself to save Scott, or Gordon, or Alan..."

"Then I trust that if any of you were in that situation, that you would do what you believe is right" he told Virgil

"But what if I was to act and they would live and I would die; but if I didn't..."

"They would die and you would live" Jeff finished for him. "Are you worried that you wouldn't be able to make that choice?"

"I know in those circumstances I would do whatever I could to save my brothers. But since talking to Avery, I just keep going over it in my head and part of me is wondering what would be the point"

The look of confusion on Jeff's face prompted Virgil to continue. "If I decided to act, then my brother's would live and I would die, they would have to live with consequences of my actions. But if I don't act and one of them dies, then I would be the one having to deal with it"

"So either way, someone still suffers" Jeff said

"Exactly, plus in both scenarios, you would still have to deal with losing a son"

"So let me just check that I'm understanding all of this correctly" Jeff stated, "You're fear is how everyone else would feel if you had to make a decision that could put your life at risk?"

Virgil just gave a quick nod; mainly because he did not trust his voice.

"There's nothing wrong with feeling like that"

"Avery told me that after Virgil died, Gordon had a really hard time dealing with it because he wasn't able to save him. I don't want to do something that would cause everyone so much pain." Once again tears filled Virgil's eyes

"Come on son" Jeff said as he placed his arm around Virgil's shoulders and guided him over to the nearest sofa and gently pushed him down onto it. "Unfortunately loss is an inevitable part of life – you boys learned that the hard way after the loss of your mother. Yet despite how difficult that was, we found a way through it"

"But Avery..."

"I know that Avery said that Virgil's loss tore her family apart, but that doesn't mean that things would be the same with us. I will confess that I can't imagine how difficult it will be dealing with losing one of you, for me or for your brothers- or even for you. But we can't live our lives in fear of what might or might not happen. Do you understand?"

Virgil sniffed and nodded his head. He knew that what his father was saying was right. But he also knew that it wasn't going to be that easy to stop the feelings he had been having since returning to duty.

"It's just been very difficult trying to get my head around everything that's happened recently and I guess it's just made me more nervous that I could end up having to make that decision one day...It's just made that possibility more real..."

"So it hasn't made you doubt your abilities?" Jeff asked, relief in his voice

"No, dad. It's not really that I have doubted my abilities as a pilot, or in my ability to perform during a rescue. It's just that I know that if I had to choose between saving myself or one of my brothers..."

"You'd choose your brothers" Jeff finished for him "And I could say that without a doubt that they would say the same thing"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right" Virgil said finally after a few moments of silence. It was as if that fact hadn't occurred to him until his father had said those words.

"Come on son, you need to get some sleep"

Virgil gave his father a quick nod as he got to his feet "You too" he told him

Jeff let out a small chuckle "I will son. Goodnight"

"Goodnight dad...and thanks" he gave his father a small smile in return before he made his way towards the door.

What neither Virgil nor Jeff realised was that just before Virgil left the room, Scott had snuck away to make sure that he wasn't seen.


	26. Chapter 26

I'm so sorry for the delay with this chapter, have been suffering with severe writers block lol

I then started typing it up and wasn't happy with it, and completely re-wrote it and ended up with this version instead.

Hope you like it and again i'm So sorry to keep you all waiting

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed my last chapter too xx Jo

Chapter 26

Scott had had a bad night.

Although he hadn't fully admitted his real concerns to his father and brothers the previous night; he was very worried about Virgil. He had noticed that Virgil hadn't been himself since returning on duty and he had done his best to keep an eye on his brother. The last thing he wanted was for Virgil to do something that would put himself or any of their other brothers at risk.

In fact Scott had gone down to he lounge to speak to his father about it, convinced that the Tracy patriarch wouldn't be able to sleep either. What he hadn't expected was for Virgil to be there as well. He had not meant to listen in on what his father and brother had been talking about. But he also found that he could not walk away.

The truth was that Scott had been feeling frustrated lately, and not just with Virgil. But the one thing that had frustrated him the most was that Virgil was talking to John rather than him. He knew that it was borderline childish to feel like that, but he had always had a close relationship with Virgil and now he felt like it had been destroyed.

He hated that he had no idea what was going on with his brother; that was the real reason why he has stayed and listened in on their conversation. It was the only way he could find out what was really going on. Scott knew that he needed to have a proper talk with Virgil and get everything out in the open, but he also wasn't sure how his brother would react. But knowing Virgil, Scott knew there would be a reason why he had gone to John over him; and deep down Scott had also suspected it was his fault. He was just afraid to admit it.

In fact lately he was afraid to admit to many things, especially with regards to how he was feeling. Maybe because admitting to it meant that he was acknowledging them rather than just pretending that they didn't exist. Scott was well aware of how his family-and in particular his father, thought they could interpret how Scott was really feeling. Most of the time, they were right; more so if something had made him angry or threatened his family, as he would react…maybe even lash out. But what they weren't as aware of was how well he could hide things from them too; and right now he was hiding something big from them.

Scott had decided to try and burn off some of his frustration by going for an early morning run around the island. Although it was something he did everyday anyway, today he was up and out earlier than he usually would be; the sun had barely begun to rise. He distractedly made his way along the path from the villa down to the beach, when up ahead he noticed the silhouette of someone sat on the sand.

As he got closer, he realised it was Avery.

He came to a dead stop, his trainers beginning to sink into the soft, dry sand beneath his feet. Scott didn't know what to do; should he go past Avery and ignore her, maybe say a quick hello and be on his way, or just turn around and go back inside?

' _This is stupid'_ he told himself _'I can't let her presence here dictate how I live in my own home'_

He continued onward, but as he got nearer to Avery's location, he could hear her crying.

Scott slowed down, once again unsure of what to do. A part of him wanted to turn back, unsure of how to do deal with her now he knew she was upset; yet another part of him desperately wanted to wrap his arms around her and comfort her. Confused by where the later feeling had come from, Scott pushed it aside and decided that he would go over and ask Avery if she was okay.

"Avery, are you okay?" He asked quietly as he approached, trying his best not to startle her

"Scott!" She exclaimed, clearly embarrassed by his presence, as she quickly wiped her face with her hands

"Sorry I didn't mean to bother you" he told her, as he came a long side her. He stood next to her and looked down at her where she sat in the sand "I was just heading out for a morning run, when…"

"It's fine…really. I just had a bit of a rough night and was in need of some fresh air" she explained, as she gestured for him to take a seat next to her; which he did so.

"If you wanted to talk…" Scott found himself saying, almost as surprised as Avery with the words that came out of his mouth

"I didn't think you liked me much?" She confessed. This time it was Scott's turn to look embarrassed

"It's not that I don't like you" he began "but the safety of my family and our organisation are very important to me and…"

"You were just trying to protect everyone. I get it, but you know I am not a threat to you or your family and yet you still try and avoid me"

Scott just shrugged as he had no idea what to say. The truth was that she was right, he had been trying to avoid being around her

"I guess I just had no idea what to say to you" he admitted "plus after the way I had treated when you first arrived here, I just thought…"

"You know, back in my world, Scott is one of my best friends…" she added "...well he was" her voice sounding sad with her last few words

"What changed?" Scott asked, although the instant the words left his lips he was sure he already knew the answer. Avery's reply just confirmed his thoughts

"Virgil's death"

"Ah"

"I don't know, it was weird. I know that losing him was hard on them too…how could it not be. But I never thought that it would drive us all apart the way that it did"

"I guess everyone has their own way of dealing with loss" Scott said, trying his best to comfort Avery "I for one can't imagine what it would be like losing one of my brothers…especially not Virg…" Scott's words trailed off. Avery could see just how painful it was for him to think about.

"I haven't really had much of a chance to grieve myself. As grateful as I am to Virgil for all the help he has given me since I've been here, it had made it more difficult for me to get used to him being gone. You know?"

Scott nodded, once again unsure of how to verbally respond. Although he had plenty of experience in his job dealing with those who had gone through a traumatic experience-even having lost loved ones; this was a unique experience…for all of them.

"And it's not just losing Virgil" she continued "I feel like I lost my relationship with the members of my family since he's been gone. Gordon distanced himself from everyone; I think that was down to him feeling guilty about not being able to save Virg in time…not that anyone blames him or anything but last time I saw him I knew he was having a hard time accepting that fact"

"Sometimes it's not that simple" Scott commented "As much as you tell someone that they aren't to blame…"

"I know" Avery said, cutting off Scott's words her voice quiet "I sometimes wonder if guilt is part of the reason why my Scott pushed me away too"

"How so?"

"I think that maybe he blames me for Virgil doing what he did"

The look of confusion on Scott's face prompted Avery to tell Scott about how her Virgil had died.

"So you think that your Scott blames you for Virgil sacrificing himself? Scott asked once Avery had finished speaking

Avery gave a small nod

"But it wasn't just you he was protecting, he was protecting your baby…as well as his brother. Any of us would have done the same"

"It wasn't just that" Avery went on "Afterwards we found letters that Virgil had written for us all, I think it was his way of saying goodbye…in case anything ever happened to him. I hadn't been able to read my letter...I just couldn't bring myself to read it. But it was after getting the letter that things between Scott and I changed…."

"So you think there was something in the letter that had caused it?"

"I don't know for sure, but it was just the timing of it all. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be putting all this on you.."

"It's fine" Scott told her, his tone soft and comforting as he gently placed his arm around her shoulder "I know I may not be your Scott, but if you want to talk about anything…I'll gladly lend you an ear"

"Thanks" she said as a genuine smile spread across her face

"At least that would be one person on this island willing to open up to me" Scott mumbled as he got to his feet

"You mean Virgil?" Avery asked, as she too got to her feet; although her movements were not as graceful as Scott's

Scott nodded "Seems he's more willing to open up to John more than me these days" he commented as he began doing some pre-workout stretches

"I'm sure that's not true"

Scott once again gave her another shrug "I don't know, he hasn't really spoken to me much recently"

"You mean since I've been here?"

This time Scott didn't say anything in reply, but Avery could tell from the look on his face that what she was saying was true. "I don't want to come between the two you…I don't want to be the reason why you're relationship falls apart..."

Unsure of what else to say, Scott just said "Well, I had better get going if I want to get my run in before breakfast"

Avery nodded and watched as Scott began to slowly jog away from her

"Just try talking to him" she shouted out after him. The small wave Scott gave back told Avery that he had heard what she had said to him

"Just make sure you do it before something happens and it's too late" she added quietly knowing that Scott was too far away to hear her anymore.

Avery stood there for a few more minutes and watched as the sun began to rise; then she made her way back inside and to her room.


	27. Chapter 27

Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I managed to get this one finished pretty quickly so thought i'd give you a nice surprise with another update,

Enjoy...and let me know what you think x

Chapter 27

Several days had passed since Virgil had had his very emotional, late night conversation with his father. Although he had found it very difficult to talk about something so personal -for both of them, Virgil had found that it had actually been helpful.

Even though the reason why Virgil had been experiencing difficulties of late, still remained, he was slowly beginning to find it easier to deal with. Plus knowing that someone else knew what was really going on in his head had actually made him feel like a weight had been lifted. It meant that he had someone he could go and talk to if he needed to.

But now Virgil felt like he had a whole new issue to deal with; this one being his brothers

Scott in particular

Virgil knew that his brothers were aware that something was going on with him, this was confirmed when his father had mentioned it while they had their talk. At the time he had hoped that he had been able to hide his fears well enough that they would've noticed, but that was clearly not the case. Virgil and his brothers had always had a close relationship, one which had only grown stronger with the formation of International Rescue. Yet despite this it didn't always mean that it was easy to open up to them about things that we're bothering him. Usually Virgil would talk to Scott but this hadn't been the case this time. Instead he had decided that John would be the better choice, especially since Avery's presence hadn't had the same impact on him as it had had on his older brother.

This was something he knew he needed to talk to Scott about – as well as everything else that had been going on inside his head. But for the first time in his life he felt scared about approaching him. It wasn't that he was concerned with telling Scott what was wrong, it was how Scott was going to react to it. Ever since they were kids Scott had always looked out for his brothers, and if any of them had any problems Scott would do whatever he could to fix it.

But Virgil didn't want Scott to try and fix things…he just wanted him to listen. That was why he had chosen to confide in John instead. It wasn't that John wasn't as caring as Scott; he just approached things differently. In other words he would listen to what was wrong and offer help and advice rather than just charging in, all guns blazing, to fix the problem

But Virgil knew he was going to have to speak to Scott about it because he couldn't deal with the tension between them anymore. In fact it wasn't just with Scott, it was with all his brothers, but Scott was always worse. His big brother instincts were clearly kicking in and Virgil was the sole target for them. He had noticed it in the way that Scott had been treating him on their recent rescues.

It wasn't that Scott hadn't been trusting him to get the job done like he usually did, but he had noticed that Scott was watching him more closely and demanding updates more regularly than was usual. Not that Virgil didn't appreciate the concern, but he was starting to find it annoying, not to mention distracting. He also knew that there was only one way to put an end to it.

They needed to talk

Virgil made his way from his studio to Scott's room. He knew that his brother would be there resting after such an exhausting rescue. Once outside his brothers door, he took a deep breath and knocked

"Come in" Scott yelled in reply from the other side of the door. Slowly Virgil opened the door and walked into the room. Scott was lying on his bed, his hands under his head, his eyes closed. The door leading out onto Scott's balcony was open, a gently, sea scented breeze was wafting into the room; the sound of the ocean could be heard in the background. Scott opened his eyes to see who it was who had just entered his room. He sat up with a start when he realised that his visitor was Virgil.

"Hey Virg" he said, his voice light; his eyes sparkling.

"Hey Scott" Scott could see that his brother looked uneasy

"Is everything okay?" He asked Virgil

"Actually, I was wondering if we could talk?"

"Sure" Scott replied as he shifted over towards the edge of the bed and indicated for Virgil to take a seat next to him. For a moment it looked as if Virgil was going to join him, but at the last minute he changed his mind and instead he just paced back and forth.

"I know that things have been a little strained between us lately" Virgil said, his tone cautious. He decided against getting straight to the point as he had no idea how Scott was going to react to what he had to tell him. Not only that, Virgil was feeling nervous and wanted to work up to it, take it slowly. Virgil was also curious as to how Scott was feeling about everything that had been going recently. Since the two of them had hardly spoken since Avery had been on the island, he wasn't completely sure how Scott was handling things himself. Neither of them had been particularly open about their feelings. Slowly Scott moved to a sitting position and looked up at his brother.

"But I feel like I need to explain a few things -so you fully understand what it is I'm dealing with" he continued. The smile which had been on Scott's face may have remained but his eyes now betrayed his concern. Virgil could see that Scott appeared worried about what it was he was about to say.

"Okay sure" he agreed. "Do you want to go first?"

Virgil nodded "if that's okay with you?" The quiver in his voice betrayed the confidence he had tried to show.

"Go ahead…take your time" Scott told his brother. His words told Virgil that he had noticed that he was struggling.

"Well..erm.." Virgil began, but he was struggling to find the words. Scott saw the embarrassment and confusion on his brothers face and decided that he should speak up

"It's okay Virg, I know what's going on" Scott admitted, his sudden confession taking his younger brother by surprise

"You do?...How…did dad say something?…" his words came out in a confused rush and Scott felt a sharpe twinge of guilt for making his brother feel that way

"No, dad didn't say anything" Scott suddenly couldn't look Virgil in the eye anymore, and instead focused on a point on the wall behind his brother "I overheard your conversation with dad"

"You what?" Virgil yelled, anger exploding out of him you were spying on me?"

"No…it wasn't like that" Scott shot back desperately. At that moment he was wishing he hadn't said anything; but he hated seeing Virgil looking so distressed and had been trying to help. Now he knew that that was a mistake "I couldn't sleep so was heading to the kitchen for something to drink when I heard you and dad talking"

"So you just thought you'd stand there listening…"

"No…I mean, I didn't hear everything that you were talking about…"

"Oh well that makes it all alright then" Virgil snapped back at Scott, cutting him off mid-explanation.

"I was worried about you, you hadn't exactly been open with me about what was going on with you…"

"So you decided to listen in to a private conversation instead" he said sarcastically, cutting his brother off again "You could have just talked to me…asked me what was going on…"

"I know" Scott admitted sheepishly "but when I found out that you were talking to John instead i…"

"You did this because you were jealous?" Virgil clearly couldn't believe what his brother was telling him

"Jealous! Come on Virg don't be ridiculous" Scott argued back, shocked by what Virgil was implying.

"Then what was it Scott. Because I know that any other time you would have walked away and left me to talk to dad without eavesdropping. So why did you?"

This time Scott stared down at the floor, and went quiet. That was how Virgil knew that he had said something that had hit home. He was right about the reason why Scott had done what he had done.

"Okay fine…I was jealous" he finally admitted after several minutes of uncomfortable silence, a blush creeping up into his face

"Because I was talking to John rather than you about what was going on?" Virgil asked.

Scott just nodded, ashamed of how he had felt and the way he had acted

"You know I would have talked to you Scott, but you didn't make it feel like I could approach you about this" Virgil told him bluntly

"So this is my fault?" Scott argued back, his shock at Virgil's words clearly displayed across his features.

"I never said that" Virgil said, his hands held up in front of him in a surrender gesture "I came here to try and talk to you about all of this, not have another argument"

"I'm concerned about you Virg…ever since Avery got here you haven't been…"

"Don't do that Scott"

"Do what?" He asked, confused

"Make this about Avery. If you heard the conversation I had with dad, then you know it's got nothing to do with her…"

"Of course it's because of her." Virgil shook his head this time, visually disagreeing with his brother as it was apparent that his words weren't getting through. Scott continued "If she hadn't came here and told you about her 'Virgil', then things would be the way they were before"

"What is your problem with her?" Virgil asked as he took a step towards his brother. Scott got to his feet and looked down at his younger brother

"She was a threat to this family, we had no idea who she was.."

"And now that we do know who she is and that she isn't a threat?" Virgil continued, although he had to look up at Scott, he kept is gaze locked firmly on his. Scrutinising him and his response.

"I don't like the effect her presence has on you" Scott admitted. Although Virgil hadn't said anything to Scott about how he really felt about Avery, Scott knew his brother better than anyone; he also knew that Virgil was developing serious feelings for her. He could see it in the way his brother was around her. It wasn't that Scott was against Virgil having feelings for any woman. He just didn't want Virgil getting hurt. "I know you have feelings for her" he added quietly as he broke eye contact with Virgil

Virgil opened his mouth as if he was about to ask what he had been told but Scott spoke again, answering the unspoken question "No one told me, okay. I figured it out for myself. I know you…remember"

"I wanted to talk to you about it Scott, I really did. But it felt like every time Avery's name was mentioned, you would tense up and change the subject. I just wanted to talk to someone who would listen to me, who wouldn't judge me…"

"You now I would never do that to you" Scott replied, hurt that his brother would even think that way about him

"You were talking about the effect that Avery has had on me. But what about the effect her presence here has had on you?"

"I don't know…"

"Oh come on Scott don't deny it. Something isn't right with you…I know you too remember?"

"There's nothing wrong with me" Scott insisted. Even though he tried his best to keep his tone as neutral as possible, Virgil noticed the note of defensiveness that lay behind it.

Scott was definitely hiding something

"You know what" Virgil said finally "I came here wanting an open, honest conversation with you. But how can I be honest with you if you won't be honest with me in return"

With that Virgil turned to leave, taking a few steps towards the door before stopping and turning back to face his brother once again "I guess our relationship isn't what I thought it was" he added in a saddened voice.

"Virg wait…" Scott called out to him, but it was too late.

Virgil was gone


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

It had been a couple of weeks since Scott and Virgil had had their unsuccessful talk. Although out in the field they behaved professionally and carried out rescues with their usual effectiveness; back on the island tensions had been growing between them. In fact things had become that bad, that Alan had even asked their father if he could start his next rotation up on Thunderbird 5 a week and a half early.

At first Jeff had been taken aback by his youngest son's request. As much as he knew that going up to Five meant that Alan would get to pilot Thunderbird 3, Jeff knew as well as anyone that Alan preferred being on Earth taking part in rescues than being up in space, monitoring them. This also told Jeff that something needed to be done about his two older sons; and the sooner the better….for everyone's sake.

Jeff had already spoken with Virgil, so he was very aware of what was causing his artistic son to have difficulties. However he had also noticed that Virgil had not been struggling as much while out on rescues as of late, It was something that Jeff was hoping would continue to improve. Yet the Tracy patriarch also knew how close Virgil's relationship with Scott was, and it would only be a matter of time before the issues between them would begin to have an impact on their performance during a rescue.

But Jeff knew that getting Scott to open up to him would not be so easy.

Jeff had found it difficult dealing with the death of his wife and in his grief he directed all his focus on the formation of his business. This had meant that his sons were not his number one priority and this was something that Jeff had spent the intervening years putting right. When their dad was not there, the task of taking care of the younger members of the Tracy family fell on Scott. Because of this Scott had become very protective of all of them…some might even say he was 'overprotective'.

Scott had always been an 'act first think later' kind of guy, especially if any of his brothers had any problems. Thankfully due to his Air Force training, this part of his personality pretty much laid dormant; something that Jeff was grateful for during rescues. However, very occasionally if the need arose, his overprotective big brother instincts would kick in. This would result in Scott trying to step in and fix any problem that any of his brothers had, even if they hadn't gone to him for help.

Jeff believed that this was part of what was causing the tension between his sons. Scott had seen that Virgil had a problem and wanted to fix it. He could also tell that his eldest did not like that Virgil had chosen to confide in John over him. Jeff had understood Virgil's reasons right away, in fact it was the same reason why any of the Tracy men would confide in John. Apart from the blonde astronaut being a very good listener…a trait that was invaluable in his line of work, he would never force his advice or opinions on anyone either. In fact, Jeff had even found himself having private, non-IR related conversations with John. Mainly because even he needed to let off some steam.

After his recent conversations with Virgil and John- plus from his own observations, Jeff strongly suspected that Scott was hiding something. He also suspected that this something had a big part to play in the current tension within the family.

So Jeff had spoken to John, and it had been agreed that Alan and John would bring forward their shift rotation a week ahead of schedule. It had also been decided that Virgil would accompany Alan as Thunderbird 3's co-pilot, although this was mostly because Alan had asked his father if he could have anyone else other than Scott go with him.

Thunderbird 3's launch had been routine and John was now piloting her on her return trip to the island.

"So how bad are things between the two of you really?" John asked Virgil once Three's course for home had been set. Virgil just shrugged. He knew that John would want to talk about it, but he wasn't sure if he was in the mood to satisfy his brother's curiosity.

"That bad huh" he said in a light hearted tone, a small chuckle accompanying his words. Virgil didn't make any attempt to respond. He knew that John was just trying to help, but he was finding it difficult to understand the reason why things between himself had Scott had become so strained-especially since he had no idea why it had happened in the first place.

"In all seriousness Virg, what happened?"

Virgil looked down at the control panel in front of him, his gaze so intense that anyone else would have been forgiven to think that he was examining something important. John on the other hand knew that although his brother was staring down at the panel, he wasn't looking at it, but through it. His mind was elsewhere and it was obvious he was struggling his thoughts.

"To be honest I'm not really sure myself" he said finally, his response causing John to turn his attention over to him again momentarily.

"I thought that you two were going to talk about things?" John asked, his tone soft

"So did I"

"So what happened?" He asked again.

"I went to speak to him…to let him know about everything…"

"You mean with Avery?"

Virgil nodded "And about the conversation I had had with dad about the issues I had been having while on rescues" he explained. This time is was John's turn to nod.

"I'm guessing that things didn't go so well?"

"That's an understatement" Virgil commented dryly. John glanced over at his brother once again, his arched eyebrow asking the question before the words could even be formed on his lips

"He heard it all" Virgil spat out in anger "Scott had listened in on the conversation I had with dad.

"He what?" John was clearly shocked by Virgil's revelation about their eldest brother.

"He said he hadn't intended to listen in…that he was on his way to get a drink when he heard dad and I talking. But when I asked him why he had listened in…do you know what he said?"

"He was worried about you?" John asked. The look Virgil gave his brother told John that he was right "so how did it get so out of hand?"

Virgil was silent for a long while that at first John wasn't sure that he had even heard his question

"Virg?"

"It's unfair that he expects us to talk to him when things are bothering us, but the minute something is wrong with him…he shuts us out"

"Ah" John replied, realising what it was that was going on between them

"Something isn't right with him lately" Virgil continued "and when I asked him about it, he got all defensive and acted like he didn't know what I was talking about"

John nodded. He knew exactly what Virgil meant. Scott had spent so long being the big brother, helping and taking on his brother's problems, that when it came to his own he would just act as if they didn't exist. Even now that they were grown men, when he didn't want his brothers to know what was going on in his head he would revert back to his old ways. Yet both Virgil and John knew that it had been a while since Scott had been like this

But then again, when had any of them had to deal with a situation like this before?

After his talk with their dad, Virgil had spend the next couple of days avoiding his brothers, unless they were out on a call. He had not even spoken to John before he had returned to Thunderbird 5. It wasn't that he was mad at John, or any of his brothers for talking to their dad; in fact he found that he was touched by their concern. He felt ashamed.

Virgil had thought that he had been handling everything better than he clearly was, that he was able to hide his fears from his brothers. Not because he didn't want anyone to know what was going on, but he was trying to work things out for himself first and he didn't want anyone to worry. A few days after John had returned to Five, Virgil had contacted him and told him about the conversation he had had with their father. Jon had listened to him like he had before, without judgement or trying to fix things.

"I'll admit that Avery' presence has had a profound effect, not just on me…but on all of us" Virgil continued after a short pause

"That's true" John agreed "How could it not". Even John had confessed to Virgil during one of their chats, that having Avery on the island had made a difference to the way he saw things during rescues. He had also understood and even shared Virgil's anxiety regards to the impact their decisions could make; not just on themselves but on the family as a whole.

"So why is Scott acting like I'm the only one who is impacted by this?"

"Honestly, it could be for the same reason why you didn't want to talk to us about your issues when returning to duty…he doesn't want to worry us"

"Yeah" Virgil admitted

"Plus he is probably busy focusing on you and how you're feeling so he doesn't have to deal with his own feelings"

"I guess" Virgil said "But we're not kids anymore, he doesn't have to keep things hidden from us or try to protect us like he used to"

"I know"

"It's just so frustrating…he's so frustrating" Virgil was finding that Scott's behaviour was really getting to him.

John gave out another little chuckle, he too understood how frustrating Scott's big brother act could be "Unfortunately he's just been a big brother for so long he has no idea how not to be one"

"I just wish I could figure out what's bothering him"

"Let me try talking to him" John suggested

"I don't know if that would work?" Virgil told him

"Why not?"

"Because" Virgil began, struggling to find he right words "He's jealous of the fact that I spoke to you rather than him about what's going on"

"Really?" John asked incredulously "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, he even admitted it to me"

"Wow" John was shocked by Virgil' revelation about their big brother. It had been a very long time since Scott had been jealous of any of his brothers. "I'll still try talking to him. You never know"


	29. Chapter 29

Thanks to everyone who is still following this story (as welll as those who my be new to it) and a big thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter,i really appreciate it. You guys are FAB!

Here's the next chapter, reviews very much appreciated :)

Chapter 29

The rest of the trip home passed in a comfortable silence. Virgil was so lost in thought that he had no idea how close to home they were until John radioed through to base asking for permission to land.

"Permission granted" came their father's reply, as John began Three's descent into her silo. Once they had touched down and the post-flight checks were complete, Virgil and John made their way up to the lounge.

As the couch brought them up through the lounge floor. Virgil quickly looked around him. He found that their father was alone, sitting at his desk just ending a call through to Alan up on Thunderbird 5; no doubt informing his youngest that his brothers had arrived home safely.

"Welcome home boys" Jeff said as he approached his sons, gently placing a hand on John's shoulder

"Thanks dad" John replied as he too looked around the room. He was a little surprised that no one else was there awaiting his return. "Where is everyone?" He asked

"They're down by the pool" Jeff informed them "I ordered everyone to enjoy a little downtime while they could"

John and Virgil exchanged a quick look

"Shall we get changed and join them?" John asked his brother. Virgil nodded in agreement

"Okay boys I'll see you down there" Jeff told his sons as they headed out of the lounge to get themselves sorted.

Fifteen minutes later and Virgil was by the pool with the others. Before he made his way down he had gone to John's room to have a quick word with his brother, but he got there to find his room was already empty. When he finally joined to rest of his family he found John already in the pool.

Virgil placed the sketch pad he had brought down with him on the table which was next to the empty recliner by the pool; he then placed his towel over the recliner itself.

"Hey Virg" Gordon called out to him. Like John, Gordon was already in the pool, but this was not surprising, as everyone on the island knew how much the redhead loved the water. Tin Tin was also in the pool with them. Virgil gave his brother a quick wave but couldn't stop the smile from forming on his lips when Gordon disappeared under the water.

Scott was sat at the table with Jeff say opposite him; Grandma and Avery were sat side by side under the shade of the hammock. When Virgil approached, Scott briefly looked up at his brother, then just as quickly returned his attention to the book he was reading.

"Are you coming in?" Tin Tin asked Virgil as she made her way over and rested her forearms on the edge of the pool.

"Maybe in a little bit" he told her as he lowered himself to take a seat at the edge of his recliner.

As he looked back up, his eyes found Avery's. She gave him a small smile, her eyes shining at him; Virgil returned her smile as he felt his heart rate quicken under her gaze. What he failed to notice was the darkened expression which crossed Scott's features when he noticed the way his brother and Avery were looking at each other.

But over in the pool, John noticed it.

Virgil sat back in his recliner and grabbed hold of his sketch pad and pencil. As he looked around for something to inspire him ' _Not Avery'_ he told himself, as he spotted her getting to her feet; yet he found he could not divert his gaze.

Since arriving on the island and not having any clothes of her own to wear, Tin Tin had been kind enough to loan some of hers. Although Avery was a couple of inches taller than Tin and a little slimmer, the offer had been gratefully received. Today was no exception. Avery was lucky that Tin Tin loved to shop and had several new bikini's that she had yet to wear; and Tin tin had been kind enough to loan one to her. The one Avery was wearing was green with a red and orange flowery detail on it. As she removed the sarong that was tied around her waist, Virgil noticed her small bump and he felt a wave of sadness wash over him.

Over in the pool, once again John was observing what was going on with his brother and Avery. He also realised that he was not the only one. As Avery walked over to the edge of the pool and slowly lowered herself into the water, John observed that Scott was also watching what was going on; despite him trying to hide it behind the pages of his book. John saw that Virgil's attention was back on his notepad, his pencil gracefully moving across the page as he began to draw and he found himself wondering if he was sketching Avery again. Suddenly his thoughts were pulled away from his artistic brother, as his crazy, water-loving brother splashed him in the face.

"Hey, what was that for?" He snapped as he spat out the water that had gone into his mouth

"I was trying to get your attention…since you weren't responding when I called your name"

It turned out that while John was busy observing his older brothers, his younger brother was trying to ask him if he wanted to join him and the ladies for a game of water polo. Reluctantly John agreed and they paired up; John and Tin Tin versus Gordon and Avery.

They played for a while, with Jeff and Grandma watching as the game began to get more and more serious…thanks to Gordon; yet it was still played at a more gentle pace than usual due to Avery's participation. Once the game was over, the two of them decided to retreat back to the villa, with Jeff promising that he would ask Kyrano to bring them all some more drinks.

After watching his father and Grandmother leave, Virgil put down his pad and made his way over to the pool. He felt the need to cool off and he _had_ told Tin Tin that he was going to join them, he slipped into the cool water. Just as he was enjoying the cooling sensation on his skin, he was suddenly splashed in the face. Coughing he looked over to find Gordon and John looking at each other mischievously. The next thing they knew, Virgil had retaliated, splashing both his brothers back. Both Tin Tin and Avery squealed slightly as they too were caught up in it all. Glancing over at each other, the girls then joined in…both of them focusing their attack solely on Gordon

"Hey, that's not fair" he moaned as he returned fire, splashing as much water as he could in their general direction.

"I think it's fair" Virgil laughed as he joined the girls in sending as much water as possible over at Gordon.

While all of this was going on, John had spotted Scott get up from his chair. Taking one last glance over towards the pool, the eldest Tracy son turned and made his way back towards the villa.

Pulling himself up out of the pool, John jogged after him, grabbing his towel on the way.

"Hey Scott, wait up" he yelled. John noticed his brother's pace slow slightly, but he could also tell that he was hesitant in doing so.

"What's up John?" He asked, his words clipped

"Can we talk?"

"What about?" Although John could tell from his brothers body language that he knew what he wanted to talk about. So John just decided to cut to the chase

"Avery"


	30. Chapter 30

Thanks to everyone for reading and for the lovely reviews, it really means a lot

Chapter 30

"Avery…what about her?" Scott asked, coming to an abrupt stop and turning to face his brother. John stopped along side him and returned his gaze.

So Scott was making him do this the hard way?

"You know what I'm talking about Scott?"

Scott just shrugged and turned as if to walk away. So John decided to change tactics…

"Why are you letting her come between you and Virgil?" He asked, getting Scott's attention yet again.

"I'm not…" Scott started to protest abruptly

"Of course you are, the two of you have barely said two words to each other since I got home…plus Alan wanted to start his rotation on Five early? Come on Scott you know that never happens"

Scott let out a breath. John could tell that this whole situation was bothering him as much as it was the rest of his family, even more so. He also knew how close his brothers were so he knew that this rift was hurting Scott as much as it was hurting Virgil.

"Virgil told me what happened" John continued, is voice low. The look that Scott gave him showed John that he wasn't really surprised that Virgil had spoken to him about it; at least not considering how things had been with the two of them recently

"He seems to be doing that a lot lately" Scott commented with a scowl, his bitterness obvious.

"His talking to me has nothing to do with his relationship with you" John told him. Scott just scoffed in reply.

"Stop it Scott"

"What is it that you want me to do John?" He asked throwing his arms up in the air and letting them fall back down to his sides

"Talk to me Scott" John said softy as he rested his hand on his brothers shoulder. "Please"

"I'm worried about Virgil" he confessed

"Why?"

"Because I've seen the effect that Avery has had on him…"

"Is that really such a bad thing?" John asked him

"I don't know…but if Brain's can find a way of sending her home…"

"Virgil is aware of that possibility Scott. Just like he is aware that any sort of connection that he might have with her is because of the relationship she had with her Virgil. But that isn't the real problem here, is it?"

John could tell by the way that Scott had opened his mouth as if to argue it, but just as quickly shut it again, that he had hit the nail on the head. It wasn't just about Virgil, and Scott had just as good as admitted it. Now John just needed to get him to open up about it

"I just want to help Scott. That's all"

"There's nothing you can do" Scott told him as he continued to walk away from his brother

"Scott…" John called after him.

Scott carried on, ignoring his brother as he called out after him. He broke out into a run and made his way down to the beach. He came to a stop once he reached the water, gasping for breath, as he allowed the water to wash up around his ankles.

Moments later John got down to the beach. Panting, he slowly made his way down towards Scott who was staring out at the waves. Although Gordon was the one with the real love of the ocean, everyone knew that Scott also loved to watch the waves. He said that he found the motion of the water soothing and that it helped to clear his head

"Has it helped?" John asked, indicating the waves. He came to stand to the right of his brother, and for a moment he enjoyed the sensation of the sand in between his toes; something he missed the feel of while he was up in space.

Scott looked over at his younger brother, the scowl still on his face. Indicating to John that his answer was no.

"Scott, I can tell that something is wrong…please let me help you"

"I told you John, you can't help…" he hissed, his hands balling up into fists

"So you're just going to bottle it all up inside. Come on Scott you know it's not healthy…how many times have you gotten us to talk about things that have bothered us…"

"Leave it John, okay" Scott pleaded angrily as he turned to once again walk away from his younger brother. Only this time John had anticipated what Scott was going to do and with lighting fast reflexes he reached out and grabbed hold of Scott's arm

"Scott"

"John…I said leave it" Scott snapped pulling his arm away, trying to break John's grip. But once again John had anticipated his brothers move and kept a tight grip on his arm. What happened next John didn't expect

Spinning around on the spot, Scott turned in towards John, his left arm following through. With well practiced precision, Scott's left fist struck John on his right cheek. The blow causing John to stagger backwards. Because he still had a hold of Scott, as John fell, he took his brother over with him. John landed hard on his back in the sand, Scott landing on top of him. But as he was falling, Scott was desperately still trying to break John's hold on him. Instinctively John's free arm went up to protect himself and in doing so, it connected with Scott's mouth.

Scott saw red and gave an angered cry as he began raining down blows at John's head. John put both his arms up to shield himself from the blows

"Scott…stop"he cried out, as a lucky hit got through, striking him on the right temple. "SCOTT".he cried again. This time Scott heard him, whether it was because of the fear in John's voice as he called out, or because he had shouted louder that time, John wasn't sure. All he knew was that Scott had stopped. John pushed Scott off of him and scrambled backwards to get away from him. John had seen that crazed look in Scott's eyes before when he had fought to protect his brothers from bullies…yet he had never had that look directed at him before. Drawing in deep, ragged breaths, John tried to calm his heart rate down as the adrenaline which had just been surging through him began to wear off. He also realised that Scott was breathing just as heavily as he was.

But as he looked over at his brother, John saw the look of complete horror and disgust that was written across his oldest brothers features. He also noticed the blood trickling from the corner of Scott's mouth. Scott on the other hand seemed completely unaware that he was bleeding. Instead he sat slumped over, staring down at his hands.

"Scott?" John said, his voice low this time, as he moved closer to his brother. When it became clear to John that Scott had not heard him, he reached a hand out and gently placed it on Scott's arm. The contact making Scott flinch, but it also snapped him out of his thoughts. When he eventually lifted his gaze, that was when John realised that tears were falling down Scott's cheeks.

"I'm so sorry Johnny" Scott answered finally, using an old nickname from when they were children. Scott's voice sounded pained and was barely more than a whisper

Slowly Scott reached out a hand to turn John's face round towards him properly so he could see how badly his brother was hurt…so he could see how badly he had hurt him. At first John pulled away, not wanting the older man to see what he had done. But Scott insisted, grabbing his chin between his thumb and forefinger and making John turn towards him.

Reluctantly he allowed his head to be turned so Scott could see the bruise that was now forming on his right cheek.

"I'm sorry John" he whispered, the devastation in his voice gripping John's heart like a vice

"It's okay…"

"It's not okay" Scott snapped back, his voice louder this time. John could tell that Scott wasn't angry with him…he was angry with himself

"Talk to me Scott…please" John pleaded "clearly something is wrong. I know I might not be able to help" he said, before Scott could protest "but maybe if you talk about it, it might help you to find a solution…or at least make you feel like you're not alone"

At first Scott did not respond, his eyes were fixed straight ahead; John wasn't even sure if his brother had heard him

"Scott?"

This time Scott turned to look at John. That was when he noticed for the first time the pain in his eldest brothers eyes. He gave Scott a small, sad smile.

Scott just responded with a brief nod, then straightened himself up and took in a deep breath.

"My guess is that when Virgil told you about what happened, he told you about his conversation with dad?" He began, his voice not as strong as he would have liked

"He did" John told him, a slight frown forming on his face. He was trying to understand where Scott was going with this. Surely there was more to this than just Scott feeling guilty after listening in on Virgil's conversation with their dad?

"And he told you what I did?" Scott asked sheepishly, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"You mean listening in? Yeah he told me. But this is more than because you're feeling guilty of listening in on them, isn't it?"

"I know I shouldn't have done it, but I was worried about Virg and it was the only way I could find out what is going on with him."

"He's just as worried about you. You need to talk to him Scott…"

Scott turned his head to stare back out at the ocean. He knew that what John was saying was right – Virgil had said the same thing. But for the first time in a long time, Scott was having trouble facing his brother

"I know that you're worried about how Virg is feeling" John continued, breaking the silence "But what about your feelings?"

"What about them?"

"Come on Scott, I know you have always put us first, regardless to how you're feeling…"

"I'm your big brother John…"

"I know, but we're not kids anymore Scott, you don't have to keep things from us…let us help you"

"I'm scared John" Scott admitted

Then moments later he was telling John everything

Later that evening John called by Virgil's studio to see if he was okay. Although Scott had talked to John and been very open and honest about his feelings, the eldest was yet to talk to Virgil. To be honest John wasn't sure if Scott was even going to be able talk to Virgil about what he had told him.

As relieved as Scott had been after finally opening up about everything, John could see that he was struggling to get it off his chest… and John wasn't even part of the reason for the way he was feeling. He knew that for Scott to tell Virgil the truth, it was going to be one of the most difficult things he had done in a very long time.

"Hey Virg" John said as he entered Virgil's workspace.

John and Scott had sat on the beach talking for a couple of hours. When the pair finally returned to the villa they had tried sneaking in but were caught by their father.

Virgil was sat at his easel. As he approached, John noticed that Virgil was sketching an image on to the canvas in front of him, one which he recognised. Virgil was copying from a sketch out of his sketch pad, an image he had drawn earlier that day down by the pool. Yet there was one major difference in Virgil's sketch to what had happened in real life…Scott. Virgil had added Scott into the image of them playing water polo even though in reality he hadn't taken part.

"It's what I wish had happened down there" Virgil told him, as if he had read his brother had been thinking. John came to a stop just behind Virgil and gently placed a comforting hand on his shoulder

"Things will be like that again" John reassured him

"Mmmm" Virgil responded, his tone doubtful. Virgil twisted round on his stool so he was facing his brother.

"Oh my god John what happened?" He gasped when he saw John's face. The spot where Scott had hit him was beginning to develop a very noticeable bruise. Virgil got to his feet so he could have a better look. He reached out and gently touched John on his face, causing his brother to flinch slightly

"I'm fine Virg, don't fuss" John told him as he pushed Virgil's hand away from the injury

Virgil stepped back and looked John in the eye "Did Scott do this?" He asked incensed

"It's okay Virg…plus I got a couple of shots in of my own" he replied, a small cheeky grin on his face. The shocked look on Virgil's face prompted John to continue "I just gave him a split lip" he added with a chuckle.

"I didn't want this to happen" Virgil exclaimed guiltily, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"This wasn't your fault Virg…okay?" John stared intently at his brother, until Virgil finally gave him a subtle nod of agreement "plus we've already had our ears chewed off by dad" he said sheepishly "it was just like when we were kids" he chuckled again

"Did Scott talk to you?"

John nodded and walked over to the window, staring out. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Virgil what had happened but…

"He made you promise not to say anything, didn't he?" Virgil said as if reading John's mind once again.

John gave a small chuckle. "Sometimes I wish this family wasn't so close"

"Yeah" Virgil agreed "Or so stubborn" he added

"Do you remember what happened with your girlfriend in high school?" John said after a while

"What as that got to do with anything…ah"

John gave a nod

"So why didn't he say anything?" Virgil asked as he frustratedly ran his hand through his hair

"Because he's embarrassed…because he doesn't want to hurt you"

"And what about him?" Virgil exclaimed. "Why does he think that his feelings aren't as important…why…"

"He's used to looking out for us Virg…it's who he is"

"I understand that. But surely under these circumstances my feelings shouldn't have any impact on his…there's nothing between me and Avery…"

"I tried telling him all that, but you know how he is…"

"Damned Tracy stubbornness" Virgil muttered under his breath. His response extracting another small chuckle from his brother. Virgil understood what John meant by it, Scott wasn't the only one to suffer from the Tracy stubbornness; they were all the same. "Maybe I should go talk to him…"

"I'd give him a couple of days. I know he does want to speak to you Virg, he just needs time"

"Okay I can do that" Virgil nodded as he turned back round to his canvas. "I just want this to be sorted, I hate the way things have become between us"

"I know" John said reassuringly as he once again placed his hand on Virgil's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before leaving the room.

The following morning Jeff sat down for breakfast with his sons, mother and Avery. This morning like so many that had preceded it as of late, was quiet. The tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. It also helped John to understand he reason why Alan wanted to get away from the island like he did. Yet despite the tension, John was still glad to be enjoying his breakfast with his family rather than alone up on Thunderbird 5.

Virgil was the last one to join them, and from the way that Gordon kept on looking between his older brothers, he was curious as to what had happened between them. Virgil also saw that John wasn't exaggerating when he said he had gone in a few shots of his own; Scott's lip was cut and still a little swollen.

"I was thinking of taking the boat out later to go fishing if anyone is interested?" Gordon asked, trying to lighten the mood,

John looked from Gordon, to Scott to Virgil, then over to his father. Jeff just gave John a small smile.

"I'm up for it…assuming no calls come in" he told Gordon.

"What about you two?" Gordon asked his two remaining brothers.

"Sure" Virgil agreed.

Scott just gave a shrug.

"That settles it then" Gordon announced cheerfully "We cast off at noon"

Suddenly they were interrupted when an excitable Brains rushed into the room.

"M..m..mr Trac..cy" he exclaimed , his excitement making his stutter worse.

"What's wrong Brains?" Jeff gasped, surprised by the state his engineer was in. Brains looked tired and disheveled; meaning that he had been up all night working in his lab.

"Nothing Mr Trac..y" he replied, looking over at Avery "But i..i believe i..i have figured i..it out"

He informed them with a bit smile on his face

"Figured what out Brains?" Gordon asked

"Well, i..i believe I h..have found a w..way to send Avery home"


	31. Chapter 31

Sorry for the delay with this latest update, i've been struggling woht some serious writers block.

Thankfully i got over it long enough to complete the latest chapter. Hope you enjoy. Reviews very wlecome

A big thanks to everyone who for still sticking with me and for the lovely reviews on my last chapter

Chapter 31

It was as if Brains' announcement had increased the tension on the island.

Things had already been tense, especially between Virgil and Scott; yet now it seemed to be much worse. It was as if the tension was hanging over them all like a fog.

It had been a couple of days since Brains had informed everyone that he had come up with a way of sending Avery home. He hadn't gone into too much detail; he mumbled something about it being too complicated and technical to explain. Also, he hadn't wanted to bore everyone by trying to explain something he believed they would struggle to understand. Brains was sure that the only member of the Tracy family who would understand the intricacies behind what was involved would be John, as he had a more scientific curiosity about the way things worked compared to the others; he also knew that if John wanted the details he would come and speak to him in private afterwards.

What he did tell everyone was that he had figured out a way to recreate the condition that had caused the rift to open in the first place. That by sending a modified plane to the exact coordinates that Avery had come through, they could - theoretically at least, be able to re-open the rift from their side.

At first the news had been welcomed with cheers and smiles. But now that it had had a chance to sink in, it was as though it had created a dark cloud which was now looming over certain occupants of the island.

It had also been a couple of days since John had had _that_ talk with Scott; and both brothers' wounds were healing nicely - the side of John's face now a subtle shade of greenish yellow. Virgil had been waiting for Scott to come and talk to him like he had told John he was going to. But instead, he was going out of his way to avoid Virgil even more. Not only that, he was also avoiding John.

In fact, the only time that Scott had spoken to either of them was earlier that morning when they had been called out on a rescue. Even then Scott hadn't said any more to either of them than was needed to get the job done. Virgil was convinced that the lead firefighter that Scott had been coordinating the rescue with, could feel how tense things were between the members of International Rescue. Yet the rescue was conducted with their usual effectiveness and efficiency.

Virgil could understand why Scott was behaving the way he was. In truth, he was sure he knew exactly how his big brother was feeling...because he was feeling the same way.

It was also the reason why Virgil was so desperate to talk to Scott. He wanted his big brother to know that he didn't have to deal with it alone. Yet that was what Scott was clearly trying to do. He has spent the last couple of days either locked away in his room, taking out his frustration on the punch bag in the gym, or doing maintenance work on Thunderbird 1.

Virgil found Scott down in the silos, doing work on Thunderbird 1. As he approached, he could see that one of her lower maintenance hatches was open, but his brother wasn't there. Looking around Virgil found Scott rummaging around in one of the larger tool cupboards. He was muttering something under his breath but Virgil couldn't make out his words.

"There you are!" he said triumphantly a few moments later as he held the small wrench up in the air. He was completely oblivious to Virgil's presence.

"Did it get away from you again?" Virgil asked in a light-hearted manner when he recognised what tool it was Scott had in his hand. Although they had plenty of wrenches, Virgil recognised the elusive one as Scott's 'lucky' wrench. For some stupid reason that Virgil couldn't recall, every time that Scott needed to do maintenance on his 'Bird and he had to use a wrench, that would be the one he would use; and everyone knew it.

Scott looked a little startled to see Virgil standing before him; clearly, he had not noticed his brother approach. "It wasn't where I left it."

"Gordon," they both said in unison then started to laugh. That was the only problem with Scott having a wrench that he favoured; Gordon seemed to delight in tormenting their older brother by hiding it in a different place so Scott would have to search for it.

To Virgil, the sound of Scott laughing was like music to his ears. But sadly the moment between them passed as quickly as it had begun.

"What are you doing down here?" Scott asked, bluntly. All trace of humour gone.

"Looking for you...we need to talk Scott."

Scott didn't reply. Instead, he just turned away and began to make his way back towards Thunderbird 1. However before he could move, Virgil grabbed him by the arm and stopped him.

"The last time a brother did that, he ended up with a black eye" Scott commented dryly as his gaze moved down to where Virgil's hand still gripped his arm before he shrugged himself free from his brother's grasp.

"I know," Virgil told him "I also know that you didn't walk away unscathed" Scott subconsciously brought his fingers up to touch the cut on his bottom lip; he then gave a small shrug.

"I've got work to do"

"It's nothing that can't wait for a little while. Please, Scott...we need to talk."

"About what?" he asked as he turned back to face his brother.

"You know what about," Virgil exclaimed. He had hoped that he wasn't going to have to spell it out for Scott, but the way things were going, Virgil knew that he was going to have to. "You don't have to hide your feelings from me, Scott...I know you're hurting."

Scott didn't reply, but the look on his face spoke volumes. Virgil could tell that Scott knew exactly what he was talking about, but he was being stubborn and was refusing to admit it. Virgil just shook his head and huffed out a breath before he uttered a single word,

"Avery"

The look that crossed Scott's face was only there for a split second before he recovered his composure, but it didn't escape Virgil's notice.

"Seriously, not this again...I already had John..."

"I know," Virgil said cutting him off "I also know that you talked to John..."

"What! So now you think it's your turn?" Scott snapped "Why can't you just leave me alone and mind your own business."

Virgil was stunned by Scott's reaction. He had hoped that his brother would open up to him, talk to him like he had told John that he would. Yet here he was trying to push Virgil further away.

"I know that Brains' announcement hurt you, Scott," Virgil whispered, "I know...because it hurt me too."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Scott once again went to make a move back towards his 'Bird, when once again Virgil stopped him.

"Come on Scott, stop this" he begged "I know what it is you're trying to do, but you don't have to do it. My feelings for Avery shouldn't matter."

Breaking away from Virgil, this time Scott did make his way over to Thunderbird 1. At first, Virgil just stayed where he was, watching his brother with an incredulous expression on his features before he too made his way over to Scott's precious machine.

"I know you're scared, Scott. I'm scared too" he told him, his voice low. For a moment Virgil thought that maybe he had spoken too quietly as Scott hadn't even acknowledged that his brother had said anything. But before he was about to say something else, Scott spoke, his voice equally as low

"You have no idea how I'm feeling, so just drop it" although Scott's voice was low, his anger and frustration came across as clearly as they would have had Scott shouted at him.

"I know you have feelings for her" Virgil confessed. The stunned expression on his brother's face told Virgil that Scott had hoped that Virgil didn't know everything

"John told you!" Scott spat, and for an instant, Virgil was sure that Scott was going to charging back up to the house to hunt their space loving brother down.

"This isn't John's fault Scott...I figured it out for myself" he lied, hoping that his words sounded more convincing to Scott's ears. Although in truth it wasn't a complete lie. Virgil had figured out that Scott also had feelings for Avery; he just needed a hint from John to be able to come to that conclusion.

When Scott didn't reply, Virgil continued "Scott, I know why you're doing this; you're doing what you have always done...putting us first. You know I have always admired that about you. But you don't have to..."

"Of course I do" Scott interrupted, cutting his brother off "I'm your big brother, it's my job..."

"What about you, Scott?" Virgil asked "Why is your happiness any less important than ours? We're not kids anymore Scott, you don't have to keep doing this...you can put yourself first once in a while"

As Scott turned round to face his brother, Virgil noticed the unshed tears that were filling his big brother's eyes. But more than that, he saw the pain that was there too.

"Oh Scott" he gasped, his voice nothing more than a whisper

"I don't know how to stop being a big brother Virg, you know that...it's who I am" he replied, his voice full of emotion. As he spoke a tear ran down his right cheek and he quickly wiped it away with his hand.

"I get that Scott, I really do. I feel the same way about our brothers too...wanting to protect them. But you don't have to deal with this alone. We're here for you to help you. Talking to John helped me deal with what it was I was feeling...and I know that it helped you too."

Scott nodded

"Then keep doing it...talk to us Scott" Virgil all but pleaded "Even if you think that what you're going to say might upset us. We're old enough to handle it."

Scott looked down at his feet and for an instant, Virgil's mind cast back to a time when they were teenagers. It was the same look that Scott had when their father was reprimanding them...something they had all experienced many times in their lives. Yet it told Virgil that Scott was feeling uncomfortable.

"What is it?" Virgil asked gently.

"I'm sorry Virg," he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion.

"You don't need to apologise to me Scott...you have nothing to apologise for," Virgil told him, his voice stern but gentle.

"Yes, I do. I need to apologise for my behaviour...for the way I acted when I found out that you chose to talk to John rather than me"

"And I told you, you have no reason to feel jealous..."

"I know and I hate that I feel like this" Scott admitted, "But I hate that I wasn't there for you when you needed me."

"I wanted to talk to you Scott, but you kept pushing me away."

"I know I did, but I was ashamed..."

"Your feelings for Avery?"

Scott nodded

"There's nothing between me and Avery, and even if there was...you can't help how you feel"

"I guess not" Scott agreed

"Come on Scott, it's not as if you did it on purpose. Believe me, you have nothing to be ashamed of."

Neither brother spoke for a while; it was as if they didn't know what to say next. Then Virgil broke the silence.

"Do you love her?" he asked his voice low. At first, Scott was a little taken aback by Virgil's words. This was something that Scott had been trying to work out for himself ever since he first met Avery and he still didn't have an answer.

"There's definitely something about her." He confessed "And I won't lie...I do have strong feelings for her. But I'm not sure if I love her or not" he told his brother, a small blush colouring his cheeks.

This time it was Virgil's turn to nod. He'd also spent some time trying to figure out his own feelings for Avery; but unlike Scott, he was sure he knew how he truly felt.

"But you love her...don't you Virg," Scott said as if reading his brother's mind. He may have been unsure about how he felt about her, yet Scott was certain he knew that Virgil _was_ in love with her. The look on Virgil's face provided Scott with his answer before any words even left Virgil's lips.

"You don't seem surprised?" Virgil asked sheepishly, a blush now colouring his cheeks.

"Why else do you think I've been trying so hard to hide how I feel?" Scott told him "Besides, considering the circumstances; it makes sense,"

Virgil's brow furrowed in confusion at his brother's words "What..."

"He loved her, so it makes sense that you would too" he clarified as he brought his right hand up to rest it on Virgil's left shoulder. For an instant, Virgil's gaze moved away from his brother's face, to the hand and then back again.

"I've missed you" Virgil managed, his voice nothing more than a whisper; but the emotion in it was hard to miss.

"I've missed you too." Scott gave his brother a small smile. But the look that passed between the two of them said so much more; that neither of them wanted to drift apart like that again.

"One thing about all of this" Virgil commented, trying to lighten the mood " turns out we both have great taste in women."

They both laughed, and it was as if the tension that had been there between them the last few weeks evaporated.

"Very true" Scott agreed with a chuckle

"Well almost..." Virgil added with a cheeky grin, as he indicated towards Thunderbird 1.

"Hey!" Scott replied in mocked injury at his brothers 'insult'. But as he looked up at his 'Bird, a warm smile spread across his face. "She's still the number one lady in my life."

"Do you need a hand with anything?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Scott told him with a small laugh as he handed the 'lucky' wrench to his younger brother, and turned his attention to the open hatch before them.

For a moment Virgil looked down at the wrench in his hand _"Maybe it really is lucky after all"_ he thought with a smile.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Here it is...sorry for the delay, life has been a little mad. Also thanks to everyone who followed/favourited and reviewed my last chapter, your support means more than you know. Also, a big thank you to everyone for still sticking with me :)

For the first time in a while, Virgil actually felt really good. He had not realised how big an impact his rift with Scott had had on him; until they had finally began working on fixing it. It also made Virgil aware of how important his relationship with Scott really was. Not that he had ever thought otherwise, but recent events had made him realise how much he had taken his relationship with Scott for granted; especially now he had nearly lost it.

Something he swore he would never do again.

His sense of relief at their reconciliation was evident in the piece of music he was currently working on. However instead of being sat at his piano, Virgil was sat out on the balcony which overlooked the swimming pool, with what had once been a blank sheet of music paper resting on his lap, and a pencil in his left hand. Since helping Scott with the maintenance on Thunderbird 1, a tune had been stuck going round and round in his head and he wanted to get it down on paper before he forgot it. It was a light and upbeat piece and the more of it he committed to paper; the more excited he was to play it for everyone.

He was so focused on what he was doing, that he hadn't noticed that Avery was standing in the doorway, watching him.

"What are you working on?" Avery asked gently as she approached Virgil, coming to a stop at the right side of his chair.

He looked up at her and gave her a warm smile as he indicated the page in his hand. Avery lowered herself down so that she was sitting on the arm of Virgil's chair.

"Unfortunately I've never been any good a reading music," she confessed, "Virgil did try and teach me, but I've just never been very musical."

"Yet you have a beautiful singing voice," he told her, causing a blush to colour Avery's cheeks.

"Thanks," she said, unable to look him in the eye.

"So, how are you doing?" he asked, changing the subject as he noticed she was feeling a little uncomfortable. He hadn't really spent much time with her since Brains had announced that he had found a way to send her home.

"I'm good," she told him. Suddenly she felt herself wobble and she quickly wrapped her arm around Virgil's left shoulder to steady her. For an instant, their eyes met, and she got the same feeling in the pit of her stomach every time he looked at her. Pushing aside the feeling she continued "I'm still not sure if the news has sunk in yet." Although she had broken the eye contact with Virgil, Avery kept her arm where it was; across his shoulder. She embraced the familiar, comforting feeling she got from it, a feeling she wanted to enjoy it for a little while longer.

As Virgil and Avery continued to talk, neither of them was aware that Scott had been observing them from just inside the doorway. As he watched them, Scott felt his chest constrict. Not just from seeing the two of them together and how close they had become. But also because he knew that Avery's time in their world was coming to an end...and that realisation hurt.

Unable to watch them any longer, Scott left and made his way down to the beach. Although it was early evening and the sun was getting low in the sky, there was still plenty of daylight left. Scott took a seat on the sand and stared out at the ocean. Lost in his thoughts, he had no idea how long he had sat there before a voice brought him back to reality.

"Mind if I join you?" Avery asked him.

Surprised by her arrival, Scott looked up and gave her a small nod.

"Sorry if I startled you," she said as she carefully lowered herself down onto the sand beside him.

"It's okay; I guess I just got a little lost in my thoughts."

"What were you thinking about?" she asked him, intrigued.

"Nothing important," he lied. Yet he could tell by the look that she gave him that she hadn't believed a word of it.

"I saw you heading down this way while I was on the balcony talking to Virg and wanted to see if you were okay?"

Despite it being several months since she had been on the island, Scott still found it odd to hear her refer to his brother in such a familiar way. He could feel the jealousy simmering just beneath the surface and it took all of his effort to push it away so she could not see it.

"Yeah I saw you both together," he commented, being as nonchalant as possible. Yet even he heard the slight irritation in his tone, so he quickly changed the subject. "I bet you're looking forward to returning to your own world?" Scott was surprised when his question was met with silence. He looked over at her, and that was when he noticed the tears in her eyes.

"I guess" she eventually answered, as she turned her face towards his. Her voice was so quiet, that if Scott hadn't been watching her, he would have sworn she hadn't even answered him at all. He raised an eyebrow at her quizzically.

"It's not that I don't want to go back to my family," she began, diverting her gaze as a small blush coloured her cheeks, "but I'm scared to go back."

"Why?" Scott kept his eyes fixed on her.

"I...I'm scared of having to live my life without him," she whispered, a quiver in her voice.

Scott did not know what to say. He wished that there was something he could say or do to comfort her, but he was at a loss.

"I barely had any time to get used to him being gone before I ended up here," she continued.

"And being around Virgil has meant that you still haven't had the chance," Scott added, suddenly understanding her fear.

"I know that your Virgil isn't _my_ Virgil," she sniffed, "but he looks like him...sounds like him...even smells like him. Here, I can still talk to him, hear his voice..." her words were cut off by a small sob and she covered her face with her hands.

"But once you go back, you won't have that anymore." Scott was beginning to understand. Being on their island with Virgil had meant that every day she was reminded of the man she had loved and lost. But more than that, his presence had brought her some comfort because it had meant that in some way he was still alive – even if he wasn't _her_ Virgil.

"I don't know if I can go back, knowing that he won't be there and that I'll never see him again," she told him, as this time she completely broke down. Scott moved closer to her and put his arm around her, and he felt the butterflies in his stomach as he felt Avery lean into him, accepting his comfort.

But more than that, he felt anger. He hated that she was feeling this way and he wanted nothing more than to make her pain stop.

"You don't have to go back," he whispered into the top of her head.

"What do you mean?" she asked, lifting her head to look up into Scott's eyes.

"You could always stay here." This time Avery sat up, breaking contact with Scott completely.

Avery shook her head, "But I don't have anyone here...I couldn't...I can't do this on my own..." she indicated to her stomach.

"We wouldn't let you...you could stay here," Scott insisted "with us"

Avery let out a small gasp, staring back at Scott, dumbfounded, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

"At least think about it" he added.

Still unsure of what to say, Avery turned her attention towards the ocean, watching the waves.

She couldn't accept Scott's offer...could she?


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Thanks everyone for the lovely reviews. Sorry for the delay.

Scott excused himself, leaving Avery alone on the beach, staring out at the waves. The effort it had taken for him to walk away from her had been enormous. Avery had told Scott that she needed some time alone, to think. He could see that her grief had been momentarily pushed aside by the shock of him asking her to stay. He knew that he needed to give her time to think through her options; but that didn't make walking away any easier.

On his way back towards the villa, another thought then crossed Scott's mind; he had not spoken to the rest of the family.

The idea of asking Avery to stay had been rattling around in his head since Brains had announced that he knew how to send her home. He had planned on talking to his father about it before he said anything to Avery. He knew that Avery staying would have an impact on all of them as well as his relationship with Virgil. Yet he found the words leaving his lips before he had a chance to stop them.

Scott was so absorbed in his own thoughts, that he did not notice Virgil approach him as he reached the pool area.

"Do you know where she is or not? Scott?" Virgil's frustrated tone told Scott that this hadn't been the first time he had asked him the question.

"What? Sorry Virg I was miles away. Avery? Yeah, she's down on the beach," he told Virgil as he made to walk away, but Virgil stopped him.

"Are you okay?" he asked, noticing that his brother was distracted. But as he asked the question, he could tell from the expression on Scott's face that he wasn't.

"Yeah," Scott shrugged; trying once again to get past his brother and once again Virgil stopped him.

"Try again Scott...what's going on?"

Sheepishly, Scott confessed, his gaze unable to meet his brothers. "I may have done something really stupid."

A feeling of dread came over Virgil. He had no idea what his brother had done, but he also knew that it had something to do with Avery.

"What did you do?" he asked, surprised by how calm his voice sounded, while he was feeling anything but.

"I...I might have told Avery that she could stay here with us, rather than going back to her own world," he finally admitted.

Inwardly, Virgil breathed a sigh of relief. He was grateful that what Scott had meant hadn't involved anything happening between himself and Avery. As much as he loved his brother, and if Avery decided that she wanted to be with Scott, he knew he wouldn't stand in their way. But he also knew that if that was to happen, it would hurt like hell. Plus the jealousy he knew he would feel would be unbearable, especially since he felt jealous just knowing that Scott had feelings for her too.

"You did what?" he gasped. Although Virgil had toyed with the idea of asking her himself, he knew that he would need to talk to his family about it first. Plus, he also knew that this wasn't where she belonged, and that had stopped him from bringing it up.

"Are you telling me that you don't want her to stay?" Scott asked, incredulously.

"Oh no, no...no...No," Virgil retorted, as he shook his head in disbelief, "don't you dare put this on me Scott."

"So you don't want her to stay, is that what you're saying?" Scott asked again, surprised by Virgil's reaction.

"Of course I do," he admitted, with a small sigh "But it's not my decision...or _yours_ to make," he added.

"But how is Avery to decide if she wants to stay or not...if she doesn't realise that she even has a choice...that staying is an option for her?"

"Is it though?" Virgil asked. Scott's reaction was one of confusion, prompting Virgil to continue. "You can't make that kind of decision without speaking to the rest of us first Scott, you know that. Think of the impact that her decision to stay would have on the family, on International Rescue...on us," he motioned back and forth between them with his hand.

"What do you mean?" Scott asked.

"Let me ask you this," Virgil began, "If she did stay, and hypothetically speaking, something happened between us, would you be okay with that?"

"Of course I would," Scott shot back. His response was that fast that Virgil was convinced that he hadn't really thought about it.

"Really! You'd be okay seeing us together every day? Because I'm sorry Scott, but if it was me...I couldn't do it."

"I've done it before remember," Scott mumbled, more to himself than to his brother; however Virgil still heard what he said.

"This isn't high school Scott," he snapped back "and this is more than you having a stupid crush on my girlfriend."

"You think I don't know that," Scott exclaimed as he moved to push past his brother. "I thought that you would have wanted this," he added. For a moment a disbelieving look crossed Virgil's features.

"It's not that simple," Virgil replied in a clipped tone. The harshness of his words causing Scott to flinch, "I'm sorry Scott, but it's not," he added, his tone softer this time.

"Why?"

"Because," Virgil began, "how do I know if the only reason she decided to stay is because I remind her of _him,_ and not because of me."

The expression that made its way across his brother's face told Virgil that Scott hadn't thought of it like that. "I'm sorry Virg," he said "I don't know what to say. Maybe you need to talk to Avery about it...find out how she really feels."

"Yeah, John's thoughts were pretty much the same," Virgil told him, then instantly he regretted his words. "Sorry," he mumbled. Even though Scott hadn't said anything at the mention of their blonde brother's name, Virgil had seen the flash of jealousy in his eldest brothers eyes. It was quick, but it had still been there.

"It's okay Virg...really. I understand why you turned to John, and you were right – he was the better choice. I was too caught up in my own feelings that I pushed you away. You shouldn't have to tip toe around the fact that John was there for you just because you don't want to hurt my feelings."

Hearing Scott's words made Virgil feel as though a weight had been lifted. Although the two of them had patched things up, Virgil had found himself skating around the issue rather than bringing it up, because he hadn't wanted to upset Scott. But he still felt bad for making Scott feel that way, he also knew from experience that that feeling wouldn't go away anytime soon.

"I do want to be there for you Virg – _I am_ there for you," Scott said with conviction in his voice.

Virgil gave Scott a warm smile, Scott returned it, gently slapping Virgil on the back as he walked past his brother towards the villa. Virgil stood there, watching his brother walk away, the smile still on his lips. Once Scott was out of sight, Virgil made his way down to the beach...he needed to talk to Avery.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Hey guys, I'm back at last.

So sorry for the delay, life has been really hectic with both work and studies. I promise I will try my best to get another update posted again very soon. I am determined to get this story finished ;) I'm also a little rusty as I haven't really written in a while so I apologise if this isn't a great chapter.

Hope you all have a great Christmas. Jo xx

As they all sat down for their evening meal, it was clear to everyone that something had happened. There was a little bit of tension between certain occupants of the dinner table; thankfully though it wasn't bad enough that Alan was begging to return to Thunderbird 5. But Jeff could tell that once again something had taken place between Scott and Virgil. He was also sure that it had something to do with Avery.

His suspicions were backed up by the glances that kept passing between his two sons. Not to mention the way that Scott would look over in Avery's direction when he thought no one was looking. Not only that; but Avery herself seemed distracted. With the exception of her greeting everyone with a quiet hello when she had taken her seat, she had not said another word since. To Jeff, she seemed to be lost in her thoughts.

Jeff had been a father long enough to know that something wasn't right, but he was grateful that his sons were still talking to each other at least. Their conversation was a little more subdued than usual; not as loud or as animated as it could be – despite Gordon's best attempts to liven things up.

Jeff was just about to ask what was going on, when he was interrupted by a dishevelled looking Brains as he took his seat at the table. He seemed agitated.

"Is everything alright Brains?" Tin Tin asked before anyone else had a chance to speak.

"Sorry I...I'm late. But I...I believe I have some exciting news to share," he told everyone. The eyes of everyone around the table were fixed on him, and for a second their attention caught the engineer off guard.

"What is it Brains?" Jeff asked, prompting the younger man to continue.

"Well..." he began, "I believe I...I should have the planes modifications completed w...within the week" he informed them all. His gaze moved over to Avery, who just gave him a small smile in return.

"You mean..." Scott started to say, but stopped abruptly as if he was unable to finish is sentence. The dark haired Tracy's gaze moved from Brains, to Avery and then to Virgil in a matter of moments. Jeff was concerned, as he was certain that he saw real anguish in the eyes of his eldest son. It was something he was going to have to talk to Scott about later, in private.

"I...If the simulations I...I have been running are accurate, then Avery will be back in her reality by this time next week" Brains concluded. For a moment complete silence dominated the room. It was so quiet that you would have been able to hear a pin drop.

"So soon?" Avery asked, her voice wobbled slightly as she broke the silence. Brains gave her a reassuring nod, a look of pride on his face.

"Thanks Brains". She gave him the brightest smile she could muster, but she was sure that he was clever enough to see straight through it. Avery knew that she should be happy – no ecstatic, about returning home. Yet in that moment she felt the complete opposite.

She looked over at Virgil, but as she did, her stomach heaved and she mumbled a quick apology before she rushed from the room. Within seconds, both Scott and Virgil were up on their feet, both desperate to follow her. "Sit down boys" Tin Tin told them, as she too got to her feet, "I'll go and check that she's okay". For a second the brothers both looked set to argue back; but the look that Tin Tin gave them silenced them and they both retook their seats.

Tin Tin gently knocked on Avery's door. When there was no answer, she opened the door and entered the room. "Avery?" she called out as she made her way inside "Are you okay?"

Seconds later Tin Tin could hear the en suites toilet flush, followed by a pale looking Avery walking thought the door. The surprised look on her face told Tin Tin that she had not heard her calling out.

"Sorry to impose, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay," Tin Tin explained.

"Nausea" Avery said, by way of explanation. But the look she gave Tin Tin showed that she was touched by her concern. However Tin Tin was certain that she saw more in the other woman's expression than gratitude.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, her tone soft and full of concern, "You were very quiet at dinner."

Avery made her way over to the bed and sat down. Tin Tin followed and took a seat next to her. She looked over at Avery, and it was clear to Tin Tin that something was definitely bothering her.

Taking a deep breath, Avery turned to Tin Tin and gave her a small, sad smile. "I thought that I'd be happy about going home, but now it's possible..."

"You're having second thoughts?"

"Yes...No...I don't know" Avery replied, her confusion as evident in her expression as it was in her words. "Scott asked me to stay," she added, her voice low.

"What?" Tin Tin had not expected that. "I thought that if anyone would have asked you to stay, it would have been Virgil."

"So did I" Avery agreed. "At first I thought he was asking me on Virgil's behalf..."

"But he wasn't?"

Avery shook her head. "I was on my way back up to the villa from the beach, when I heard Scott and Virgil talking...about me." Avery then told Tin Tin what she had heard.

"Wow, I had no idea Scott felt that way," Tin Tin said, once Avery had finished talking. "I knew that Virgil had feelings for you, but Scott..."

"I know."

"So what are you going to do?" Tin Tin asked.

"I have no choice, I have to go back" despite the conviction in Avery's voice, Tin Tin could tell that she wasn't in a rush to get back.

"But is that what you really want?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Being here was difficult at first...especially being around Virgil, but I have grown to love it here...and grown to love your family."

"What about your family?"

Avery got to her feet and walked over to the window, staring out into the distance.

"Avery?" Tin Tin slowly approached her. Avery's silence worried her. It was obvious that something was bothering her.

"I need to talk to everyone" Avery said suddenly, "I need to tell them the truth."


	35. Chapter 35

Hi guys, I'm back...finally

sorry for the delay yet again, been mad with work and studies and working on a tough assignment.

Also a big thanks to everyone for your lovely reviews, i'm so grateful that you're still with me :)

Enjoy

Chapter 35

After her revelation to Tin Tin, Avery reluctantly made her way back to the lounge, determined to tell everyone the truth, once and for all. As she entered, followed closely by Tin Tin, the reaction they gave to her as she walked in made her feel guilty and she felt her nausea returning. They were all looking up at her with concern, and she knew she was about to destroy the trust she had built up in them since she had arrived. Scott was sat by the brothers portraits with Alan, while Virgil and Gordon sat opposite Jeff, who was seated behind his desk.

"How are you feeling, Avery?" Jeff asked her as she, along with Tin Tin, she took a seat near to the desk.

"I'm sorry I ran off like that, I was feeling…"

"Morning sickness can't be helped," Jeff said understandingly "My wife was the same with all of her pregnancies," he added with a small chuckle.

Avery gave him a small smile. She really did appreciate his understanding and kindness, but his words were making her feel even more uneasy about what was about to happen.

"To be honest, I'm not sure if it was just the baby that was making me sick…" she confessed, "Or the thought of returning home that caused it."

Avery noted the confused expressions that had suddenly appeared on everyone's faces upon hearing her words.

"But I thought you were looking forward to returning home to _your_ family" Gordon asked, speaking what was everyone's minds.

"I know," she said as she shifted nervously in her seat, "But I haven't been completely honest with you about my family."

Murmurs broke out from the rooms occupants and the confused expressions that has been on their faces deepened.

"I don't understand?" Virgil asked. Since entering the lounge, Avery had done her best to avoid looking at him, but the sound of his voice made her turn her gaze towards him. She knew that what she was about to say would be a surprise to them all; but she also knew that her revelation was going to hurt Virgil the most.

"The truth is," she began after taking in a deep breath, "My family doesn't have the same relationship that you have with each other."

They looked around the room at each other, the confusion still evident in all their features. But Virgil kept his gaze fixed on Avery. She tried to break away from his stare, but found out that she couldn't – it was as if he had her trapped. Although he didn't speak, the look in his eyes said it all, _'why didn't you tell me?'_

Ignoring Virgil's questioning stare she continued. "When I said that Virgil's death had tore the family apart – I meant it. Jeff blamed Gordon for not getting him free in time. He accused Gordon of letting his brother die as a result of the explosion… because he was jealous."

"What?" Gordon gasped in surprise. It was blatantly obvious that he was struggling to understand why he would intentionally let one of his brothers die, in any reality. Virgil placed a comforting hand on his brothers shoulder.

"It's okay Gords…"

"How can it be okay Virg, she's saying that I let you die…"

"What you have to understand," Avery continued "in my world, Virgil didn't have as close a relationship with his brothers, in fact they resented him…"

"Why?" Scott asked before anyone else could respond.

"The way I understand it, when their mother died, Jeff began to treat them all differently. Virgil became the favourite because he was the most like her. As far as Jeff was concerned, as long as Virgil was there, it was as if she hadn't completely gone…"

"That's ridiculous!" Scott exclaimed.

"It is Scott, I agree. But you're viewing this from the point of view of someone who has had a close relationship with Virgil all his life. The way that Jeff chose to treat Virgil meant that the rest of them were all but ignored by him when they were growing up. He focused all his energy into Virgil because it made him feel like his wife was still with him in some way. Scott stepped in and pretty much raised John, Gordon and Alan. He basically became a surrogate father to them."

Scott gave a nod. He had done something similar after they had lost their own mother, when Jeff had closed himself away with his grief.

"So your Virgil didn't sacrifice himself to save Gordon after all?" Gordon asked quietly.

"I'm sorry Gordon, but no. Not in the way that you mean anyway," Avery reluctantly admitted, her voice thick with emotion. "He did what he did to save me and the baby first…" she sniffed as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you any of this sooner" she added as she glanced around at everyone. They all returned her gaze with Scott giving her a small smile of reassurance. But Avery could tell that Virgil wasn't happy. She was just about to say something to him, when Jeff spoke up…

"You have nothing to apologise for" he told Avery, his voice warm and nonjudgmental. "After the boys mother died, I shut myself away, I..I struggled to come to terms with losing the love of my life. But in the process, I very nearly lost the most precious gift she gave me – our sons". Jeff looked around his boys, a smile of fatherly pride on his face. "If it hadn't been for Scott…" his eyes locked on his eldest "…I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't stepped in…"

"It's okay dad…"

"No it isn't son. I should not have put that responsibility on you. My mother made me realise how foolish I was being'" Jeff pressed on, "She made me realise what I was missing out on. Lucy may have been gone, but her spirit – everything that made her who she was, it was still with me because of our boys"

Avery looked around the room. Scott, Virgil, Gordon and Alan were all looking over at their father with tears in their eyes. It was clear to her that Jeff's words meant something special to each of them. In that moment of realisation, she felt a sudden sadness overwhelm her. Internally she cursed _her_ Jeff. It made her sad that _her_ Scott, John, Gordon and Alan had never been made to feel like they truly mattered to him.

"I hate that he never spoke to them like this…the way a father should truly be around his sons…he has missed out on so much…they've missed out on so much" Avery said quietly, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Why would he do that?" Alan spat, venom in his tone. Avery was surprised to hear this Alan speak with such anger and hatred; ever since she had arrived, he had always seemed so upbeat and cheerful. "Why would a father favour one son over the others. It just doesn't make any sense."

It was obvious that the youngest Tracy was struggling to understand why any version of his father would act in such a way.

"Because grief can make people act in ways that they normally wouldn't," Jeff told him as he got up from his desk and made his way around it and walked over to his youngest son. Alan looked up at his father, surprised at the words that had just come out of his fathers mouth. "I'm not making excuses for him," Jeff clarified in response to the look of surprise on Alan's face. "You're right, no parent should favour one child over another. But he's also right in one respect."

"Right?" Scott scoffed, just as surprised by his fathers words as his youngest brother had been.

"I don't mean in how he acted," Jeff told him as he moved to stand in front of his desk – his gaze passing over all of his sons. "But in any ways, Virgil is most like his mother…because has her musical and artistic talents." Virgil felt himself blush at his fathers words, especially when the eyes of all his brother turned towards him. He just gave them a small shrug.

"Yet I see her in all of you boys," Jeff continued. "She would have done anything for you boys, she as fiercely protective of all of you – just like Scott is. She had a wicked sense of humour and always knew how to cheer me up after a hard day – just like Gordon; and she was smart and inquisitive, something which John got from her."

He paused and looked at his sons once again, taking in a deep breath.

"What about me?" Alan asked, almost sulking like a child because he hadn't been mentioned yet.

Jeff smiled down at his youngest son. "You remind me of your mother because you're the one who looks most like her," his voice thick with emotion the time he had finished talking. Even after all these years, talking about his late wife was difficult for him; although now it made him smile more than it made him cry. He hated that she had missed out on her sons growing up, but he also know that she would be so proud of the men they had become.

"Really?" Alan replied with a big grin on his face.

"Of course Al," Scott told him "I remember when you were a baby, everyone always commented on how much you took after her."

"They would say that John did too cos he was blonde, and how Scott and I took more after dad," Virgil continued , a trace of humour creeping into his voice as he exchanged a sneaky look with his oldest brother.

"Oh yeah…and that Gordon was clearly adopted," Scott added, trying his best to suppress the grin he could feel forming on his lips.

"Ha ha…very funny guys," Gordon replied, pouting.

Laughter broke about around the room as the other Tracy's reacted to Gordon's reaction. After several more seconds of 'pouting' Gordon joined his brother's and began laughing. It felt good to be laughing after Jeff's emotional revelation.

As the jovial banter continued between the brothers – mostly _at_ Gordon's expense for a change, Avery took advantage of the distraction and quietly left the room. Virgil saw her leave and contemplated following her; however a quick head shake from Scott stopped him, his big brother knew what he was thinking. Plus it seemed Virgil wasn't the only one to have noticed her exit the room.

As the door to her room closed behind her, Avery closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she fought to get her emotions under control. It was a bittersweet feeling, witnessing for herself, the closeness of this family. But at that very moment, she felt such overwhelming anger towards _her_ Jeff, that it took all her self control not to scream.

She wanted, more than anything, to stay and remain with this version of the Tracy's – to be a part of their family. Yet deep down, she knew that she couldn't abandon her own.

They needed her more than they realised.

Wearily, she lay down on her bed, as exhaustion overcame her and she fell into a restless sleep.

The conversations and banter in the lounge continued a while longer; well into the night. One by one, the rooms occupants excused themselves, making their way to bed. Eventually, only Jeff, Scott and Virgil remained. As his sons finally got to their feet with the intention of heading to their own rooms, Scott stopped and addressed their father.

"Tonight meant a lot to us dad…what you said."

Virgil nodded in agreement.

"Well, I meant every word of it," Jeff told them, a warm smile spreading across his face.

"It's just a shame that John didn't get to hear it…" Virgil commented, before adding "…goodnight Dad."

As the brothers left the room, they could hear Jeff call up to John on Thunderbird 5. Scott flashed Virgil a quick smile, leaving the room to allow their dad to talk to their oldest blonde brother in peace.

As they walked together down the corridor leading to their rooms, Scott noticed that Virgil had come to a dead stop outside Avery's room. He knew exactly what it was that his brother was wanting to do; but he also didn't think that now was the time to do it.

"Leave it until tomorrow Virg, let her get some rest – go and get some rest yourself," he told his brother; his comment resulting in a small chuckle from the artist.

"What?" Scott asked, surprised by Virgil's reaction.

He shook his head, "Over-protective much?" Virgil replied with a laugh, getting a small laugh from Scott in response.

"Okay, okay," Scott responded, understanding the humour behind Virgil's comment, especially since their father had mentioned Scott's over-protective tendencies earlier. "Goodnight Virg," he added as he opened the door to his room. Virgil turned and looked back at his brother, as he opened the door of his own bedroom.

"Goodnight Scott," he half whispered back, pausing momentarily before adding, "I love you bro"

"I love you too"


	36. Chapter 36

Hey Guys I'm back...

I'm so sorry for the delay with this, but now that my exam revision is over and I have no studies to do until October, I can get back to my writing.

I've forgot how much I enjoy doing this. I hope this latest update is ok, I'm feeling a little rusty.

Thanks so much for your patience and I promise the delay for the next update will not be as long.

Jo xx

Chapter 36

It was late morning when Virgil took a seat at the breakfast table. He had used the excuse that it had been quiet on the rescue front – for him to enjoy a bit of a lie in. Jeff had given his son a gentle pat on the shoulder and a warm smile as he got up from the table – having already finished eating. The Tracy patriarch hadn't said anything, but Virgil suspected that his father knew the truth.

In truth, the real reason why Virgil was up so late was because he had had trouble sleeping. Virgil, in fact was certain he saw exhaustion hidden behind his father's smile, but Jeff had had many years experience in hiding it. First was his experience of being a father with five boys; secondly as the head of International Rescue. Virgil had lost count of how many times their father had been sat at his desk, waiting for his sons to return home from a rescue; even the tough ones that would go on throughout the night.

A sudden movement out of the corner of his eye caught Virgil's attention, distracting the artist from his thoughts.

"Avery, wait," he called out as he noticed her trying to sneak back out of sight.

Avery had decided to go down for a late breakfast in the hopes of avoiding everyone. The previous nights revelations had been hard on everyone, and although they had been laughing and joking with each other when she left the room, Avery needed some time to prepare herself before she faced them all again. The last person she had wanted to see was the one person who was seated at the table before her. He looked lost in thought, and Avery had hope she could get out of there before he had noticed her presence.

She was wrong.

"Sorry Virgil, I didn't want to disturb you," she mumbled quietly.

Virgil gave her a warm smile and indicated to the chair opposite. "Join me for breakfast?" he asked. Although he didn't sound angry, he didn't sound like his usual self either. To Avery, he appeared tired. Giving him a quick nod, Avery reluctantly sat down in the chair he had pointed to. As they ate, neither of them spoke – both unsure what to say to each other. Every so often Avery would notice that Virgil would glance over at her, but just as quickly he would avert his gaze if she looked back at him.

Eventually Virgil finished eating, although he didn't eat as much as usually did as he didn't have much of an appetite. Despite this he had still taken his time eating, mainly so he could stay in the room with Avery. With every bite, he kept hoping he could find the words, or the courage to speak, but both eluded him. Last night he had lain in bed – questions flooding his mind and stopping him from sleeping. Yet now he was in the position to ask her some of them, his mind was blank.

Just finishing her last bite of toast, Avery got to her feet, ready to leave. "I'll see you later," she said to Virgil, not sure what else to say, yet she did not want to just walk out without saying anything. She made her way towards the door.

"Avery, please wait," Virgil asked, sounding almost desperate. She turned back to look at him expectantly. "We need to talk."

"You've had plenty of time to talk to me," she stated, referring to his silence while they ate.

"I know...I just...Can we go for a walk?"

She nodded, and Virgil slowly got to his feet and escorted her outside. They walked in silence for a while, again neither of them knowing what to say to each other. Eventually following Virgil's lead, they ended up coming to a stop in a clearing which overlooked the ocean on the other side of the island.

"It's beautiful up here," Avery said, after a few moments of just standing and taking in the view.

"It's one of my favourite places on the island. It's where I come when I need time alone to think...or for some inspiration."

"It's definitely inspiring," she told him, her gaze still fixed out on the horizon.

"Oh yeah, although some visits are more inspirational than others," he replied, his gaze fixed firmly on her as she continued to stare out into the distance. Avery turned to look at him, as if she could feel his eyes on her. She noticed there was a blush colouring his cheeks, as he quickly turned his attention away from her and out on to the view before them. At first she didn't say anything, but she was certain she had understood the meaning behind his words...he was talking about her. She knew she needed to stop this before things went too far. Finally, she was the one to break the silence.

"You know I have to go back...right?"

Virgil shrugged. He understood her reasons for wanting to go back. She had made it clear the previous evening, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't at least try and encourage her to change her mind.

"Despite what I told you all," she continued "they're still my family. I can't abandon them just because of this..." she said motioning to the view before them, "...or because of you," she added quietly.

Virgil nodded, unsure if he could trust his voice to speak in that moment. The thought of her leaving had always been there in the back of his mind, but now it felt so much more real. Just acknowledging it brought a lump to his throat. Yet before he was able to respond, Avery continued.

"I need to go back and face up to the fact that my husband is gone, I need to grieve; I haven't been able to do that here..."

"Because of me," Virgil stated.

"Yes," she nodded in agreement. "Don't get me wrong, being here with you and your family has been wonderful. To see how your family should be...being here has been like the greatest dream. But now, I need to wake up and face reality."

"Of course" Virgil acknowledged, trying his best to stop the pain and disappointment he was feeling, from coming across in his words. He turned and indicated to a stone bench that was behind them, nestled in under a small canopy of trees and shrubs. They both took a seat, side by side and Avery breathed in a deep breath; trying to rid her body of the tension she had been feeling since the night before.

"Are things really that bad with your family?" he asked her wearily. Although he couldn't think of any reason why she would have lied about it, a small part of him had hoped it wasn't as bad as he had first believed. He could not bring himself to imagine a version of his family where they did not have the same sort of relationship that he had with his own father and brothers. Yet the rational, more scientific side of him told him, that with all the number of possible variations of worlds that could be out there; it was without a doubt, a real possibility. It just hurt him to know that it was true, but worst of all, that Avery had had to experience it.

"Before being here, and meeting all of you...that was all I knew. I don't know, them being the way they are was normal for me...you know?"

It wasn't really that Virgil knew, exactly, but he certainly understood what she was talking about. "And now..."

"Now, since meeting your family and seeing how close you guys are – it just hurts me so much to see what they've missed out on...are missing out on; the thought of going back to all the anger and resentment...not to mention the pain...I just don't know if I'm strong enough to deal with it all."

"Then stay..."

Avery got to her feet and took a few steps forward, her back to Virgil. "They need me Virgil, now more than they ever did before. I need to go back to help my Jeff to reconnect with his remaining sons, before it's too late."

"Okay," he replied, coming up behind her. "But if for any reason Brains' plan doesn't work, then there will always be a place for you here...with us."

"Thank you," she managed, her voice strained. It was clear that all this talk about her family and leaving was becoming difficult. She gave a small cough to clear her throat "I just want you to know that whatever happens, I am so grateful to all of you for everything you have done for me. I literally crashed into your world and turned everything upside down for everyone...especially you. Yet you have all made me feel like I'm a part of your family...you didn't have to do that..."

"I know, but you made it impossible for us not to..." Virgil admitted. This has been something that he had spoken to John about on one of their many late night chats since Avery had arrived in their world; how easily she had fit in with the family. How she got on well with all residents of the island. To Virgil, it felt as if she truly belonged there. In fact, after his last private conversation with Scott, he didn't think he was the only Tracy to feel that way. He knew that Avery's presence had had a huge impact on his oldest brother too.

"...It really is like you're a part of our family. That's why it's going to be so difficult to say goodbye." Virgil broke off and quickly turned away, unable to look at her. His last few words had come out strained and thick with emotion.

"Virgil?" Avery said, his name coming out as barely more than a whisper. She moved towards him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, turning him back to face her. As he turned, that was when she saw the tears that were in his eyes and the pained expression on his face. It was enough to break her own resolve and she felt her own eyes fill with tears.

"I'm sorry," he apologised.

"You have nothing to apologise for," Avery told him.

He shook his head, "I promised myself that I wouldn't do this...that I wouldn't feel like this about you, but I can't stop myself..." he whispered as he reached up with his left hand to gently stroke her cheek.

"Virg..." she replied, also in a whisper, the intense look in his eye, taking her breath away. Slowly, he lowered his head and gently kissed her lips. Avery knew that she needed to stop what was happening, but the feel of his lips against hers was too much. She felt like she had no control over her own body; instead of pulling away, like she knew she should, she felt herself take a step closer to him. He gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer still as he deepened the kiss.

For a brief moment, it was as if nothing else existed. For a brief moment, they forgot that she was getting ready to leave that world, and return to the one she came from, the one where...suddenly a memory flashed into Avery's mind of an intimate moment which had taken place with _her_ Virgil and she quickly broke the kiss. In that moment she became overwhelmed with an intense feeling of guilt...for betraying her husband.

"I'm sorry," she told Virgil as she took another few steps away from him, unsure if she trusted herself. Although her emotions were the reason why she had ended the moment between them, her body was still craving the feel and the warmth of him that she had been longing for since the day she had lost _her_ Virgil.

"I'm the one who should be apologising...I was the one who took advantage..."

"But I allowed it to happen..." she said, cutting him off.

"Avery." Virgil practically shouted, cutting her off this time. "You must know how I feel about you. But I also want you to know that I would never do anything to hurt you."

"I know..." she began; however her words were cut off by a sharp gasp.

"What's wrong?" Virgil asked, alarmed.

"It's nothing. The baby just kicked," she told him, a huge smile appearing on her face. "Here."

She grabbed Virgil's hand a placed it on her stomach, just in time for him to feel the baby's next kick.

"Wow" he murmured, "that was..."

This time Virgil's words were cut off by the vibration of his watch.

There was an emergency, he had to go. He sheepishly looked up at Avery.

"It's ok, go," she told him, with a smile

Virgil gave her a smile in return, turned, and ran back towards the villa. Left alone, Avery sat back down on the bench. A short time later the peace in the air was shattered by the sound of the engines of Thunderbird One, followed closely by Thunderbird Two, flying away from the island.

"Please be careful," she whispered, as she watched both crafts disappear into the horizon, before she too made her way back to the villa.


End file.
